B   M   330   na 


THB 


DMINISTI^TION  OP  Dl^GS 


William  Sckleif 


*  * 


UfO. 


BlOCMWflSTRY  ©EEfc 

The 
Administration  of  Drugs. 


•    • » . 


A  Guide  for  the  Pharmaceutical 
Laboratory. 


BY 


William  Schleif,  Ph.  G.,  M.  D., 


'1 


Instructor  in  Pharmacy  at  the 
University  of   Pennsylvania. 


Philadelphia  : 

Press  of  Avil  Printing  Company, 

i8q8. 


BIOLOGY 

LIBRARY 

G 


COPYRIGHT.  1898, 


WILLIAM  SCHLEIF,   M.  D. 


^ fN  MEMOR/AM 


^ 


THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  DRUGS. 


A  GUIDE  FOR  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  LABORATORY. 


The  study  of  drugs  in  their  natural,  crude  state,  properly 
belongs  to  materia  medica.  This  embraces  every  substance  used 
in  the  treatment  of  disease,  from  the  dried  leaf  or  root  to  the 
synthetic  compound  of  the  chemist,  treating  of  its  origin,  ap- 
pearance, physical  and  chemical  characteristics,  while  the  physi- 
ological effect  in  proper  and  improper  dose,  together  with  the 
real  value  of  the  remedy  in  disease,  is  referred  to  the  domain  of 
therapeutics.  Medicinal  agents  differ  as  widely  in  their 
physical  properties  as  they  vary  in  their  action  on  the 
economy,  and  hence  it  becomes  of  some  importance  to 
know  how  to  administer  each  and  every  one  for  the  production 
of  the  greatest  effect.  This  is  the  mission  of  pharmacy.  Briefly 
stated,  it  is  the  science  which  teaches  us  how  to  administer  a 
remedy  in  a  form  consistent  with  the  maximum  amount  of 
physiological  action  and  the  least  amount  of  inconvenience  to 
the  patient.  This  form  is  dependent  upon  the  character  of  the 
drug,  selected  so  as  to  combine  not  only  efficiency,  but  as  far  as 
possible  permanency,  palatability,  appearance  and  concentra- 
tion; in  other  words,  to  join  with  the  desired  medicinal  action 
pharmaceutical  perfection. 

For  purposes  of  administration,  medicinal  substances  are 
conveniently  divided  into  gases,  liquids  and  solids.  All  of  these 
belong  to  one  of  three  classes: 

1 .  Those  of  inorganic  or  mineral  origin. 

2.  Those  of  vegetahle  or  animal  origin. 

3.  Orgaiiic  drugs  other  than  those  of  vegetahle  or  animal 

origin. 
Gases  form  a  small  and  rather  unimportant  class.     They 
are  readily  given  by  inhalation,  enter  the  blood  quickly  by  rea- 
son of  the  large  area  exposed  in  the  capillaries  of  the  lungs,  and 

(3) 


act  more  promptly  tlian  do  either  liquids  or  solids.  More 
raretv'.  gases  liave  been  given  for  medicinal  effect  by  introduc- 
tion into,  tbe  rectum;  Ov-casionaliy  they  are  administered  dis- 
sdlvqd  iiV  JJouicis,  by  way  of  the  stomach.  The  number  of  gases 
used  in  medicine  is  so  small  that  it  can  almost  be  disregarded, 
though  a  certain  number  of  volatile  liquids  are  really  admin- 
istered by  inhalation,  and  properly  belong  to  this  class. 

The  amount  of  medicinal  action  obtained  from  any  given 
drug  depends  upon  the  more  or  less  complete  manner  in  which 
it  is  absorbed,  the  rapidity  with  which  this  is  effected,  and  to  a 
less  extent,  upon  the  rate  with  which  it  is  eliminated.  Absorp- 
tion and  elimination  usually  bear  a  definite  ratio  to  each  other, 
so  that  a  substance  which  enters  the  circulation  quickly  will 
leave  the  system  in  a  comparatively  short  space  of  time.  Gases 
act  most  promptly,  liquids  rank  next  in  efficiency,  and  solids  are 
the  slowest  of  all  to  produce  their  effect.  The  number  of  gases 
is  limited,  and  a  few  very  volatile  liquids  are  so  easily  obtained 
in  the  state  of  vapor  that  they  can  be  given  by  way  of  the  lungs; 
but  the  largest  number  of  both  liquids  and  solids  admit  of  but 
one  route  of  introduction — that  of  the  stomach.  The  full  his- 
tory of  any  drug  placed  in  the  stomach  depends  on  its  solubility 
in  the  gastric  or  intestinal  fluids,  and  the  rate  with  which  it  is 
excreted  by  the  emunctories,  chiefly  the  kidneys,  the  lungs  and 
the  skin.  Pharmacy  obviously  cannot  influence  elimination, 
but  it  can  materially  assist  the  rapidity  of  absorption,  and 
increase  the  medicinal  value  of  a  drug  by  presenting  it  in  as 
soluble  a  form  as  possible,  ready  to  enter  the  circulation  when 
it  is  placed  within  the  body.  This  soluble  form  is  most  perfectly 
attained  by  dissolving  the  drug  in  a  liquid,  preferably  one  which 
will  mix  readily  with  the  contents  of  the  stomach  or  bowel, 
which  is  unirritating  and  possesses  no  well-pronounced  chemi- 
cal action  on  the  drug  itself,  nor  marked  medicinal  effect  on  the 
system.  Accordingly,  solution  is  the  best  method  of  administer- 
ing a  drug  internally,  the  few  instances  of  gases  and  volatile 
liquids  given  by  inhalation  excepted.  But  this  is  not  the  only 
way  in  which  drugs  can  be  prescribed.  They  may  be  given  in 
suhstajice,  in  their  natural,  crude  state,  or  in  the  form  of  powder, 
provided  they  possess  the  following  characteristics: 

I.  They  should  be  tasteless,  or  at  least  have  no  disagreeable 
or  nauseating  effect  on  the  palate. 


2.  They  must  remain  unaffected  in  air,  neither  attracting 
nor  losing  moisture. 

3.  They  should  be  non-volatile. 

4.  The  dose  should  be  small  enough  not  to  render  the  sub- 
stance objectionable  by  its  bulk.  This  refers  particularly  to 
solids,  though  liquids  should  answer  practically  to  the  same 
requirements,  except  that  the  latter  may  be  volatile  and  do  not 
need  to  be  permanent  in  air.  The  administration  of  a  solid  in 
the  form  of  pov^der  presents  the  advantage  of  increasing  many 
times  the  surface  exposed  to  the  solvent  action  of  the  fluids  in 
the  body. 

Inorganic  or  mineral  substances  may  be  given  in  solution, 
or  if  they  are  insoluble,  in  some  of  the  various  ways  to  which 
powders  are  adapted.  The  administration  of  chemical  sub- 
stances becomes  a  fairly  easy  task,  as  it  is  usually  possible  to 
prepare  them  in  a  pure  state.  They  are  seldom  subject  to  mate- 
rial change,  and  their  reactions  are  well  known. 

The  organic  compounds  other  than  those  of  animal  or 
vegetable  origin  include  the  long  list  of  synthetic  carbon  com- 
pounds, which  have  become  of  such  great  importance  during 
the  last  few  years.  Many  of  these  are  very  useful  in  medicine, 
and  may  be  prescribed  according  to  the  same  rules  governing 
the  administration  of  all  other  remedies  in  the  form  of  solution 
or  of  powder,  but  exception  must  be  taken  in  regard  to  their 
exhibition  simultaneously  with  other  medicinal  substances. 
These  synthetic  compounds  are  characterized  by  very  complex 
formulae;  they  are  usually  stable  and  permanent,  but  as  their 
reactions  are  only  partially  known,  it  becomes  a  safe  rule  to 
prescribe  them  uncombined,  except  in  the  case  of  a  few  mixtures 
which  experience  has  proven  to  be  entirely  harmless. 

Vegetable  or  animal  drugs  are  of  a  nature  requiring  special 
preparation  before  they  reach  the  patient.  The  animal  drugs 
are  few  in  number,  while  those  derived  from  the  vegetable  king- 
dom comprise  a  very  large  list,  such  as  roots,  barks,  leaves, 
fruits,  flowers,  and  the  like.  Almost  without  exception,  they 
must  be  given  in  doses  so  large  and  bulky  that  the  patient 
would  object  to  taking  them  in  substance.  All  vegetable  or 
animal  drugs  owe  their  properties  to  a  class  of  substances  collec- 
tively known  as  proximate  principles.  This  is  a  rather  indefinite 
term,  merely  indicating  a  compound  of  vegetable  or  animal 


origin,  isolated  by  the  chemist  and  made  up,  in  a  more  or  less 
complex  ratio,  of  several  or  all  of  the  following  elements:  Car- 
bon, Hydrogen,  Oxygen,  Nitrogen;  occasionally  Phosphorus, 
Sulphur  and  Iron.  The  principle  may  be  the  most  powerful 
poison  or  a  perfectly  inert  substance  therapeutically;  strych- 
nine and  gum  are  both  members  of  this  class.  Because  of  this 
variety  of  compounds  contained  in  plants,  it  becomes  necessary, 
first  of  all,  to  determine  which  one  of  them  represents  the  thera- 
peutic action  of  a  particular  drug;  secondly,  to  separate  this 
constituent  from  those  which  have  no  action  of  their  own,  or 
which  directly  interfere  by  some  opposing  physiological  efTect. 
In  many  cases  the  active  principles  are  known,  and  in  such 
instances  are  employed  in  a  pure  condition.  Strychnine  is  the 
totanizing  principle  of  nux  vomica;  it  can  be  readily  prepared 
and  used  in  an  isolated  form  in  preference  to  the  same  ingredi- 
ent represented  in  tincture  of  nux  vomica,  where  it  is  associated 
with  another  active  substance — brucine.  In  other  cases,  one 
principle  does  not  represent  the  full  virtue  of  a  drug:  digitalis 
ow^es  its  cardiac  and  diuretic  properties  to  no  less  than  four 
principles,  and  we  must  direct  our  attention  toward  producing 
a  preparation  containing  all  of  these.  Digitalis  may  be 
given  in  the  form  of  the  powdered  leaf,  but  it  is 
more  in  accord  with  elegant  pharmacy  to  separate  the 
active,  soluble  constituents  from  the  dried  residue  of 
plant  tissues  by  extraction  with  a  liquid;  we  therefore  pre- 
fer the  infusion  or  the  tincture.  Woody  fibre  is  a  natural 
constituent  of  all  vegetable  drugs,  and  as  it  has  no  medicinal 
value  of  its  own,  is  directly  objectionable  because  it  increases  the 
bulk  of  the  dose.  This  can  better  be  appreciated  when  it  is 
remembered  that  two  and  one-half  grains  of  quinine,  or  five 
grains  of  total  alkaloids,  represent  about  one  hundred  grains  of 
cinchona  bark,  and  that  before  the  discovery  of  the  active  prin- 
ciples, it  was  necessary  to  administer  a  large  bulk  of  the  pow- 
dered bark  to  get  the  effect  of  a  few  grains  of  quinine.  Woody 
fibre,  or  cellulose,  is  insoluble  in  ordinary  menstrua,  and 
remains  behind  in  the  process  of  extraction;  but  other  sub- 
sta'>.ces.  equally  inert,  are  soluble  in  the  liquids  used  in  phar- 
macy, and  therefore  appear  in  pharmaceutical  preparations 
together  with  the  active  constituents.  Such  soluble  inert  prin- 
ciples, universally  present  in  all  plants,  are  tannic  acid,  gum, 


starch,  albumen,  coloring  matter  and  extractive.  They  neither 
add  to,  nor  materially  hinder,  the  physiological  effect  of  the  active 
principle,  but  are  objectionable  because  they  increase,  distinctly, 
the  liability  of  the  preparation  to  spoil.  This  tendency  to 
decomposition  is  common  to  all  drugs  of  animal  or  vegetable 
origin,  and  stands  in  striking  contrast  to  the  stability  usually 
shown  by  the  inorganic  substances.  So  marked  is  this  property 
that  the  statement  can  safely  be  advanced  that  all  vegetable  or 
animal  drugs  deteriorate  in  time.  This  rule  has  a  very  few,  nota- 
ble exceptions.  Just  as  absorption  is  favored  by  solution,  so 
decomposition  is  hastened  when  vegetable  principles  are  in  a 
fluid  form,  and  it  becomes  still  more  true  that  all  liquid  pharma- 
ceutical preparations  of  vegetable  or  animal  drugs  tend  to  decom- 
pose; their  medicinal  value  is  inversely  as  their  age.  This  rule  has 
no  exceptions. 

Summing  up  our  knowledge  of  the  properties  possessed  by 
vegetable  drugs,  it  follows  as  a  natural  sequence  that  the  most 
rational  and  scientific  method  to  employ  them  in  a  concentrated, 
permanent  and  reliable  form  lies  in  the  use  of  the  active  prin- 
ciple. Unfortunately,  the  active  constituents  of  vegetable  sub- 
stances are  in  many  instances  insufficiently  understood,  or  reside 
in  several  principles,  so  that  we  are  compelled  to  employ  the 
preparations.  Not  only  do  the  latter  vary  in  quality  according 
to  age,  but  the  large  class  of  vegetable  drugs  whose  chemical 
nature  has  thus  far  not  been  accurately  determined  necessarily 
present  marked  variations  even  at  the  time  of  collection,  and  we 
have  no  reliable  way  of  judging  their  value  except  by  actual 
therapeutic  test  of  individual  specimens.  But  the  quality  of 
such  drugs  can  be  estimated  to  a  certain  limited  extent  by  their 
external  appearance  and  physical  properties,  while  the  strength 
of  the  solid  or  liquid  preparations  can  be  regulated  at  least  as 
far  as  their  percentage  composition  is  concerned.  It  is  for  this 
purpose  that  we  have  the  pharmacopoeia.  This  is  a  book  of 
reference  for  both  physician  and  pharmacist,  issued  to  regulate 
the  quality  of  important  medicinal  substances  and  their  most 
popular  preparations;  with  us,  it  is  published  by  a  committee  of 
pharmacists  and  physicians,  the  representatives  of  medical  and 
pharmaceutical  organizations  throughout  the  country. 

Pharmacopoeias  appear  in  all  civilized  countries,  and  are 
issued  under  government  authority  except  in  the  United  States, 


8 

lhong:li  our  own  jr-overnmcnt  has  acce])tecl  the  United  States 
pharniacopctia.  Sonic  of  the  states,  among  them  New  York, 
Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  have  made  its  use  compulsory  by  state 
legislation.  The  large  number  of  new  drugs  continually  appear- 
ing makes  a  revision  necessary  every  ten  years,  many  of  the 
older  remedies  passing  out  of  use  from  time  to  time.  The  policy 
of  our  pharmacopoeia  is  distinctly  against  patented  or  proprie- 
tary compounds  of  any  kind,  irrespective  of  their  value  in  medi- 
cme,  and  therefore  drugs  like  antipyrin,  phenacetin  and  sulfonal 
are  not  officially  recognized.  A  substance  is  said  to  be  official 
when  it  is  admitted  into  the  pharmacopoeia;  officinal,  when  it  is 
used  to  some  extent,  but  not  sufficiently  popular  to  merit  such 
a  distinction. 

Drugs  appear  in  the  pharmacopoeia  by  their  official  name, 
English  name,  synonym,  followed  by  the  botanical  name,  if  the 
substance  be  of  vegetable  origin,  and  by  the  symbolic  formula 
if  the  drug  be  a  chemical. 

The  official  name  invariably  appears  in  Latin,  not  only 
because  this  is,  in  general,  the  unchanging  language  of  science, 
but  also  because  it  has  long  been  that  of  medical  nomen- 
clature. The  official  title  is  produced  in  as  brief  a 
manner  as  possible,  unless  some  very  good  reason 
required  a  deviation.  Digitalis  means  "the  leaves  of 
Digitalis  purpurea,  collected  from  plants  of  the  second 
year's  growth."  It  would  be  unnecessary  to  say  Folia 
Digitalis,  or  Digitalis  folia,  as  no  other  part  of  the  same  plant 
is  official.  Such  a  course  becomes  imperative  when  a  plant  con- 
tributes two  parts,  as  Belladonna,  where  the  two  terms,  ''Bella- 
donn?e  folia"  and.  "Belladonnas  radix,"  have  been  introduced. 
The  singular  number  is  always  preferred,  according  to  ancient 
medical  custom,  though  the  official  definition  may  indicate  a 
plural ;  as,  Coca,  the  leaves  of  Erythroxylon  Coca. 

Official  names  may  be  divided  into  three  classes:  Those  (i) 
of  regetahh  drugs,  (2)  of  chemicals  and  (3)  of  preparations.  A 
vegetable  drug  is  specified  usually  by  selecting  the  genus  or 
generic  name  of  the  plant:  Digitalis,  from  Digitalis  purpurea; 
Aconitum,  from  /Vconitum  napellus.  More  rarely,  when  com- 
mon use  had  sanctioned  a  certain  name,  this  was  selected  even 
though  it  defined  the  species:  Belladonnse  folia.  Belladonnas 
radix,  both  from  Atropa  Belladonna;  Nux  Vomica,  the  seed  of 


Strychnos  Nux  Vomica.  In  a  few  cases  the  entire  botanical 
name  was  retained:  Rhus  glabra,  "the  fruit  of  Rhus  glabra,"  and 
Rhamnus  Purshiana,  "the  bark  of  Rhamnus  Purshiana;"  the 
first  to  distinguish  the  drug  from  Rhus  Toxicodendron,  the  sec- 
ond to  differentiate  between  Rhamnus  Purshiana  and  Rhamnus 
Frangula,  both  official  (the  latter  as  Frangula). 

In  the  naming  of  chemicals,  the  basylous,  metallic  or 
electro-positive  element  is  placed  first:  Potassii  bromidum,  Sodii 
chloridum,  for  Potassium  bromide  and  Sodium  chloride.  An 
attempt  is  made  to  indicate  the  chemical  composition,  unless 
this  interferes  with  brevity,  from  complexity  of  the  molecule. 

Preparations  are  named  by  placing  first  the  class  and  next 
the  drug,  as  Tinctura  Zingiberis  and  Extractum  Ergotae.  Those 
preparations  containing  two  or  more  ingredients  are  termed 
compound,  and  the  adjective  coinpositus  (a,  um)  follows  the 
name  of  the  class  and  most  important  medicinal  constituent. 
This  is  done  when  the  number  of  ingredients  is  so  large  that  the 
official  title  would  be  rendered  inconveniently  long  by  mention- 
ing all  of  them.  Compound  Tincture  of  Benzoin  contains  ben- 
zoin, purified  aloes,  storax  and  balsam  of  tolu,  in  alcohol; 
benzoin  forms  the  chief  ingredient,  and  therefore  the  prepara- 
tion is  officially  known  as  Tinctura  Benzoini  Composita. 

If  the  compound  preparation  contain  but  two  active  sub- 
stances, both  enter  into  the  official  name,  as  Pulvis  Ipecacuanhae 
et  Opii,  Dover's  powder,  or  the  powder  of  ipecac  and  opium. 
This  contains  also  eighty  per  cent  of  sugar  of  milk,  beside  ten 
per  cent,  each  of  powdered  opium  and  ipecac;  as  the  sugar 
forms  merely  the  diluent,  it  is  omitted  in  the  official  name. 

Following  the  Latin  official  title  is  the  English  official 
name.  This  has  been  selected  with  equal  care.  With  plants  it 
is  usually  the  Anglicized  Latin  name;  in  the  case  of  chemical 
substances  and  of  preparations,  a  translation  of  the  latter.  Cin- 
chona, potassium  cyanide  and  compound  tincture  of  gentian 
will  serve  as  examples.  Special  efforts  are  being  made  to  bring 
this  English  official  title  into  exclusive  use,  in  preference  to  the 

Synonym,  or  name  by  which  a  drug  is  known  to  the  general 
public.  This  fails  utterly  in  being  either  brief,  descriptive,  or 
scientific,  and  is  not  infrequently  applied  to  several  drugs  with 
widely  different  medical  properties.  Snake  root  may  mean 
cimicifuga,  asarum  canadense,  senega,  or  serpentaria;  there  is 


lO 


nothing  to  recommend  it  but  a  fancied  resemblance  common  to 
many  rliizomes  and  rootlets.  The  same  applies  to  preparations. 
Black  drop  properly  means  the  vinegar  of  opium,  and  black 
draught  the  compound  infusion  of  senna.  Both  terms  have 
been  interchanged,  with  fatal  results,  a  mistake  which  could 
never  have  happened  with  the  proper  use  of  the  English  official 
titles. 

Symbolic  formulae  express  in  the  briefest  and  most  definite 
manner  the  actual  composition  of  a  compound,  and  follow  the 
official  name  in  the  case  of  chemicals.  The  molecular  weight  is 
also  appended. 

An  official  definition  becomes  necessary  in  the  case  of 
vegetable  drugs,  to  identify  the  part  of  the  plant  and  the  botani- 
cal source.  Hyoscyamus  is  defined  as  "the  leaves  and  fiowering 
tops  of  Hyoscyamus  niger  Linne  (nat.  ord.  Solanacese),  collected 
from  plants  of  the  second  year's  growth."  The  botanical  name, 
Hyoscyamus  niger  (genus  and  species),  is  followed  by  the  name 
of  the  botanist  and  the  natural  order.  The  official  description 
consists  of  a  short  statement  of  the  physical  properties  of  the 
drug;  brief  mention  of  possible  adulterations  and  tests  for  iden- 
tity is  made. 

Certain  rules  have  been  adopted  in  regard  to  the  orthog- 
raphy of  botanical  names.  The  name  of  the  species  begins 
witli  a  small  letter,  except  in  the  following  cases:  First,  when 
the  name  formerly  denoted  a  genius;  second,  when  it  is  derived 
from  the  name  of  a  person ;  and  third,  when  it  is  an  indeclinable 
noun,  or  a  combination  of  a  noun  or  an  adjective. 


<2) 


r.  o 


■\yv\.\.      -      ^  (J 


TABLES  OF  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES. 

APOTHECARIES'  OR  TROY  WEIGHT. 
Pound.         Troyounces.         Drachms.  Scruples.  Troy  Grains. 

^1b  j/'y  =      ^J2^      =  96         =         288         =         5760 

n^j       =  E        =  24  =  480 

3^       =      gr,  20 

AVOIRDUPOIS  WEIC^T. 
Pound.  Ounces.  Drachms.  Troy  Grains. 

R)  I  =  16  =  256  =^         7000 

OZ.  I  =  16  =  437.5 

dr.  I  =       gr.  27.343 

The  agothecaik:sI  or  troy_weight_is  generally  used  in  the  United 
States  in  prescription  practice.  The  pound  (lb.,  Hbra)  contains  5760 
grains ;  the  ounce  (S,  uncia)  480  grains  ;  the  drachm  (5,  drachma) 
60  grains,  and  the  scruple  (9,  scrupulus)  20  grains  (gr.,  granum 
plur.  grana). 

The  avoirdupois  pound  is  in  common  use  in  commercial  transac- 
tions. This  pound  is  larger  than  the  apothecaries'  pound,  containing 
7000  grains,  but  is  subdivided  into  16  ounces  instead  of  12,  as  in 
the  troy  system,  each  ounce  containing  437.5  grains,  instead  of 
480.  The  pound  is  abbreviated  lb.,  the  ounce  oz.  (or  av.  oz.),  the 
drachm  dr.,  and  the  grain  gr.  The  avoirdupois  drachm  is  rarely 
employed. 

The  sign  lb.  is  an  abbreviation  for  libra  and  unfortunately 
stands  for  both  the  troy  and  the  avoirdupois  pound.  The  troy  pound, 
however,  is  rarely  employed  in  medicine,  and  in  ordinaiy  commer- 
cial use  the  sign  lb.  specifies  an  avoirdupois  pound  of  7000  grains. 

APOTHECARIES'  OR  WINE  MEASURE. 
Gallon.  Pints.  Fluidounces.        ] 

Cong.  I  =  8  =  128  = 

O  I        =  16        = 

The  gallon  (Cong.,  congius)  contains  23  i  cubic  inches.  It  is 
subdivided    into    8    pints    (or   4    quarts).     Each  pint  (O,  octarius) 

(11) 


idrachms. 

Minims. 

1024          = 

61440 

128          -= 

7680 

8          = 

480 

foi        = 

"l  60 

contains  i6  fluidounces  (f3,  fluiduncia) ;  the  fluidounce  contains  8 
fluidrachms  (f5,  fluidrachma),  and  the  latter  is  again  subdivided 
into  60  minims  ("i,  minimum). 

IMPERIAL    MEASURE    (BRITISH    PHARMACOrOEIA). 

Gallon.  Pints.  Fluidounces.         Hluidrachms.  Minims. 

1        =        8        =        160        =         1280  =  76,800 

I          =            20          =             160  r=  9,600 

I          =                 8  =:  ^80 

I  —  6o 

The  pint  of  the  apothecaries'  or  wine  measure  contains  7680 
minims,  each  fluidounce  containing  480  minims.  The  pint  of  dis- 
tilled water,  at  15.6°  C.  (60°  F.),  weighs  7291.2  grains,  the  fluid- 
ounce  455-7  grains.  The  imperial  fluidounce  of  distilled  water,  at 
the  same  temperature,  weighs  as  much  as  one  avoirdupois  ounce,  or 
437.5  grains. 

The  apothecaries'  and  avoirdupois  systems  of  weights,  and  the 
apothecaries'  system  of  measure,  are  all  used  in  this  country ; 
therefore  three  ounces  of  different  values  must  be  considered — the 
apothecaries'  ounce  of  480  grains,  the  avoirdupois  ounce  of  437.5 
grains,  and  the  fluidounce  (of  water)  of  455.7  grains.  Imperial 
fluidounces  and  gallons  are  not  employed  in  the  United  States. 

The  apothecaries'  fluidounce  measures  480  minims,  but  a 
fluidounce  of  water  weighs  455.7  grains  at  15.6°  C.  (60°  F.);  a 
minim  is  therefore  a  little  lesstTian  a  grain  (of  water),  though  the 
weight  of  the  minim  is,  of  course,  directly  dependent  upon  the 
specific  gravity  of  the  liquid. 

Note. — For  the  correct  estimation  of  percentage  solutions,  it  is 
necessary  to  make  use  of  the  cipher  455.7  instead  of  480,  for  the 
fluidounce,  and  of  7291.2  for  the  pintinstea"d  of  7680,  because  a  true 
percentage  expresses  ther  number  of  grams  of  the  substance  in  100 
grai7is  of  water,  and  not  the  amount  contained  in  100  ininivis,  the 
minim  not  equaling  the  grain.  A  4  per  cent  solution  of  cocaine 
therefore  represents  4  grains  of  cocaine  hydrochlorate  in  100 grains 
of  water,  or  18.2  grains  in  the  fluidounce  (4  per  cent,  of  455.7).  A 
I  :  1000  bichloride  of  mercury  solution  will  contain  7.2  grains  of 
the  corrosive  chloride  in  the  pint  of  water  (7291.2  h-  iooo).  A 
^  grain  solution  of  cocaine  represents  4  grains  of  cocaine  hydro- 
chlorate  in  the  fluidounce  of  water  (4  in  455.7)  and  therefore  con- 
tains less  than  i  per  cent  (.87  per  cent). 


n^fi.ifi^.       u^^  /^^^ 


f\1 

r 


13 

In  administering  medicine  to  patients,  it  has  always  been 
customary  to  make  use  of  certain  domestic  measures,  and  this  is 
done  at  the  present  day  in  the  great  majority  of  instances.  The 
following  is  a  list  of  domestic  measures  and  their  approximate 
equivalents : 

Teacupful  =  f  Siv  (Poculum,  vel  pocillum). 

Wineglassful        =  f  ^ij  (Cyathus  vinarius). 
yr;   Tablespoonful     =  f  5ss  (Cochlear  amplum  vel  magnum). 
Dessertspoonful  =  f  5ij  (Cochlear  modicum  vel  medium). 
Teaspoonful         =  f  3j    (Cochlear  parvum  vel  cochlearium). 
Drop  varies  from  j^  to  i  ^  minim  (Gutta). 

Modern  teacups,  tablespoons,  dessertspoons  and  teaspoons 
average  about  one-third  more  than  these  equivalents,  hence  there 
is  a  great  advantage  in  using  the  accurately  graduated  medicine 
glasses  furnished  by  many  pharmacists. 

As  the  directions  to  the  patient  are  always  written  in  English, 
in  this  country,  the  Latin  expressions  denoting  teaspoons,  etc.,  are 
very  rarely  made  use  of 

The  drop  (gutta)  is  a  variable  quantity,  its  size  depending  on  the 
density  andWinnsistenre  of  the  liquid  and  the%urface  it  is  dropped 
from.  The  drop  is  frequently  regarded  as  the  equivalent  of  a  min- 
im and  this  is  approximately  correct  in  the  case  of  water,  but  does 
not  answer  for  any  other  liquids. 

As  a  rule,  the  size  of  a  drop  is  larger  when  the  preparation  is 
aqueous,  than  when  it  is  alcoholic,  and  it  is  larger  in  viscid  or 
sticky  liquids,  than  in  those  which  are  less  dense  and  more  mobile. 
Many  other  factors  influence  the  volume  of  a  drop — so  the  ordinary 
medicine  dropper,  when  held  in  a  vertical  position,  will  yield 
from  three  to  four  drops  for  every  single  one  obtained  by  dropping 
the  same  liquid  from  the  horizontal  position.  The  size  and  shape 
of  the  lip  of  the  bottle,  the  quantity  of  the  liquid  contained,  and 
the  temperature  of  the  latter  all  exert  their  influence. 

At  present,  there  seems  to  be  no  remedy  for  this  evil  and  the 
only  reliable  plan  to  prescribe  liquids  in  minute  dose  is  to  order 
them  in  minims  and  add  a  sufficient  quantity  of  some  other  liquid  to 
make  the  individual  dose  a  teaspoonful  or  other  easily  measured 
quantity. 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM. 

The  metric  or  decimal  system  was  introduced  to  supplant  the 
various  systems  in  common  use  and  furnish,  at  the  same  time,  the 
convenient  form  of  calculation  found  in  decimal  arithmetic.  All  the 
older  systems  were  referable  to  the  grain  as  the  unit — this  was 
originally  a  grain  of  wheat,  taken  from  the  middle  of  the  ear,  an 
absolutely  arbitrary  standard  for  comparison.  The  metric  system 
has  for  its  standard,  the  meter,  or  the  ^juiKTiTUiro'  ^^  P^''^  ^^  ^^^  earth's 
circumference  at  the  poles  (or  the  TomJFinnF  ^^  P^*"^  ^^  the  distance 
from  the  equator  to  the  pole).  This  is  the  unit  of  the  measure  ot 
length.  The  measure  of  capacity  is  derived  from  the  measure  ot 
length  by  cubing  the  tenth  part  of  a  meter,  producing  the  liter. 
The  unit  of  weight  is  obtained  by  cubing  the  one-hundredth  part 
of  a  meter,  filling  it  with  water  and  weighing  it  at  the  temperature 
of  its  greatest  density,  4°C.;  it  is  called  \.\\q  gramme. 

The  multiples  and  subdivisions  of  the  metric  system  are  indi- 
cated by  Greek  and  Latin  prefixes  ;  the  multiples  are  Deca,  Hecto, 
Kilo  and  Myria,  each  increasing  in  the  ratio  of  lo,  so  that  a 
Kilometer  represents  looo  meters.  The  subdivisions  are  indicated 
by  the  Latin  prefixes,  deci,  centi  and  milli,  each  decreasing  in  the 
ratio  of  10;  a  millimeter  is  the  ytot  th  part  of  a  meter. 

Myriameter  (Mm.)  10,000  Myrialiter  (Ml.)  10,000  Myriagramme  (Mg.) 

Kilometer     (Km.)  1000  Kiloliter     (Kl.)  1000  Kilogramme     (Kg.) 

Hectometer  (Hm.)  100  Hectoliter  (HI.)  100  Hectogramme  (Hg.) 

Decameter     (Dm.)  10  Decaliter  (Dl.)  10  Decagramme     (Dg.) 

Meter              (m.)  i  Liter           (1)  i  Gramme           (Gm. ) 

Decimeter     (dm.)  -^  Deciliter    (dl.)  xV  Decigramme       (dg.) 

Centimeter    (cm.)  -j^^  Centiliter  (cl.)  x^tt  Centigramme      (eg.) 

Millimeter     (mm.)      iTny^  Milliliter   (ml.)  y^^  Milligramme    (mg.) 

The  denominations  most  commonly  used  are  the  millimeter 
(mm),  the  centimeter  (cm.)  as  the  measures  of  length.  A  mikromilli- 
meter,  or  the  yoVit^^  P*^^^  ^^  ^  millimeter,  is  occasionally  employed  in 
microscopic  work.  The  liter  and  milliliter,  commonly  called  cubic 
centimeter,  are  found  to  be  convenient  measures  of  capacity,  and 
the  milligramme,  centigramme,  gramme  and  kilogramme  are 
regarded  sufficient  as  measures  of  weight. 

(14) 


15 

The  equivalents  of  the  decimal  system,  in  inches,  pints  and 
grains,  are  as  follows  : 
Meter  (m.)  39-37  +inches. 

Liter  \l.)  2.113-l-pints,  or  33.81-t-fluidouuces  (a  little  more  than  a  quart). 

Gramme  (Gm.)  15.432-l-graius. 

Orthography. — The  pharmacopoeia  has  adopted  the  terms 
meter,  liter  and  gramme,  and  not,  as  recommended  by  the  Ameri- 
can Metric  Bureau,  meter,  liter  and  gram;  the  original  French 
orthography  reads  metre,  litre  and  gramme.  The  word  gramme 
was  retained  in  preference  to  gram,  because  the  latter  can  be  so 
easily  mistaken  for  grain,  and  the  abbreviation  Gm.  has  been 
selected  in  preference  to  gm,,  because  it  is  more  readily  distin- 
guished from  gr. 

The  United  States  pharmacopoeia  has  adopted  the  metric  sys- 
tem for  all  of  its  formulae,  indicating  liquids  by  cubic  centimeters 
(C.c.)  and  solids  by  grammes  (Gm.). 


PHARMACEUTICAL  MENSTRUA. 


A  menstruum  is  any  liquid  employed  in  extracting  the  soluble 
constituents  of  a  drug  and  necessarily  enters  into  the  composition 
of  every  liquid  preparation.  An  analysis  of  the  pharmacopoeia 
shows  that  8i  per  cent,  of  all  preparations  are  Hquids,  illustrating 
the  importance  of  presenting  medicinal  substances  in  a  soluble 
form.  Arranged  according  to  their  menstrua,  the  3 1 5  liquid  prepa- 
rations officially  recognized  appear  as  follows: 

Classes   of  official 
preparations 
made  with   each 
/'  menstruum. 

Alcohol 6 

Water 9 

Ether i 

Glycerin i 

Alcohol  and  Ether  .  i 

Oil I 

Oleic  Acid i 

Diluted  Acetic  Acid  .  i 


Total     number   of 

Approximate 

preparations 

percentage  of 

made  with  each 

the     entire 

menstruum. 

number. 

190 

60. 

100 

31-7 

6 

1-9 

6 

1-9 

4 

1.2 

4 

1.2 

3 

.9 

2 

.6 

21 


315 


Of  the  128  solid  preparations,  38  require  the  use  of  a  men- 
struum, 27  of  these  being  made  with  alcohol  and  the  remaining  1 1 
with  water. 

The  above  table  expresses  the  relative  value  of  the  different 
liquids  used  in  extracting  medicinal  substances,  whenever  any 
degree  of  permanency  in  the  finished  product  is  desired.  This  is 
required  of  the  great  majority  of  ofificial  preparations,  but  in  ordi- 
nary extemporaneous*  pharmacy  water  forms  the  greater  bulk,  at 
least,  of  most  liquid  prescriptions  ;  these  are  usually  to  be  taken  by 
the  patient  in  a  period  covering  from  a  few  days  to  a  week  or  so. 

For  official  pharmacy,  the  typical  menstruum  is  a  liquid  which 
removes  all  the  activity  of  a  vegetable  substance  and  leaves  all  the 
inert  constituents  ;  has  no  therapeutic  action  itself,  yields  perma- 
nent preparations  and  such  that  are  perfect  in  appearance,  are  palata- 
ble and  sufficiently  concentrated  not  to  inconvenience  the  patient 

•Compounded  at  the  order  of  the  physician  (,tx  tempore). 

(16) 


U^*  X-'U-tHtc^'^^—^   CWl^^-^^--^^^^ 


17 

by  a  bulky  dose.  None  of  the  liquids  mentioned  possess  all  of 
these  advantages,  but  alcohol  more  nearly  approaches  the  standard 
than  any  other  menstruum  known — it  is  a  good  solvent  for  active 
principles,  almost  without  exception,  and  a  relatively  poor  one  for 
those  without  value ;  it  readily  yields  preparations  clear  and  brilliant 
in  appearance,  rendered  permanent  by  its  pronounced  antiseptic 
properties  and  palatable  because  of  their  concentration.  The  only 
serious  objection  to  a  more  extended  use  of  alcohol  is  its  own 
therapeutic  effect,  which,  in  the  case  of  certain  dilute  tinctures  (like 
the  compound  tincture  of  gentian  or  the  tincture  of  valerian),  may 
not  only  completely  overshadow  the  medicinal  action  of  the  remedy, 
but  lead  to  the  production  of  the  alcoholic  habit.  This  is  offset,  to 
a  great  extent,  by  the  ready  solubility  of  most  active  principles  in 
alcohol,  so  that  preparations  rich  in  the  drug  and  relatively  weak 
in  alcohol  are  easily  obtained ;  in  all  cases  diluted  alcohol  is  intro- 
duced where  it  does  not  affect  the  therapeutic  value  of  an  official 
preparation,  and  the  proportion  of  alcohol  reduced  to  the  mini- 
mum amount  consistent  with  pharmaceutical  perfection.  Obvi- 
ously, a  tablespoonful  of  a  tincture  made  with  diluted  alcohol  (com- 
posed of  equal  volumes  of  alcohol  and  water)  produces  a  result 
equivalent  to  that  of  a  half  ounce  of  whiskey,  plus  the  peculiar 
properties  possessed  by  the  drug  dissolved.  In  all  but  a  few  of  the 
alcohoHc  liquids  of  the  pharmacopoeia,  the  dose  ranges  from  a  drop 
to  a  teaspoonful,  and  the  physiological  action  of  the  spirit  becomes 
a  secondary  consideration  because  of  the  small  percentage  contained 
in  each  dose.  Alcohol  forms  the  menstruum  of  the  tinctures,  fluid 
extracts  and  spirits,  and  is  contained  in  smaller  amount  in  wines, 
elixirs,  and  some  liniments. 

Water  has  none  of  the  advantages  of  alcohol  and  but  one  prop- 
erty to  recommend  its  general  use  in  official  pharmacy,  /.  e.,  that 
of  having  no  pronounced  action  of  its  own  when  given  in  the 
doses  of  pharmacopoeial  preparations.  Water  has  a  wide  range  of 
solvency,  but  this  is  rather  against  than  for  its  use,  as  it  takes  up 
many  principles  medicinally  inactive — starch,  albumen,  coloring 
matter,  extractive,  gum — which  do  harm  because  of  their  own  insta- 
bility in  solution.  Pharmaceutically,  its  preparations  lack  perfect 
transparency,  decompose  easily  and  must  be  given  in  large  doses, 
which  are  therapeutically  more  uncertain  than  those  containing 
alcohol  as  a  menstruum.  Waters,  solutions,  infusions  and  decoctions 


i8 

arc  made  with  a  menstruum  solely  of  water,  while  syrups,  honeys, 
mucilages,  emulsions  and  mixtures  are  largely  aqueous  preparations. 

Ether  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  oleo-resins.  Aspidium, 
capsicum,  cubeb,  lupulin,  pepper  and  ginger  owe  their  activity  to 
both  oil  and  resin,  and  ether  is  a  good  solvent  for  both  of  these  classes 
of  principles — the  drugs  are  extracted  with  ether  and  the  latter 
recovered  by  distillation,  leaving  the  active  principles  in  the  form  o^ 
the  most  concentrated  preparations  of  these  drugs  which  we  possess. 
Ether  dissolves  all  oils,  whether  they  are  volatile  or  fixed,  all  fats, 
but  not  all  resins.  Mixed  in  the  proportion  of  three  volumes  to 
one  volume  of  alcohol,  ether  forms  the  solvent  for  pyroxylin  or 
gun-cotton  in  the  official  collodions. 

Glycerin  enters  into  the  composition  of  the  glycerites.  It  is  a 
valuable  solvent  for  many  medicinal  principles,  but  increases  the 
solution  of  inactive  substances,  such  as  gum,  albumen  and  color- 
ing matter,  to  such  an  extent  that  its  use  as  an  addition  to  alcoholic 
or  aqueous  menstrua  is  limited.  Glycerin  has  well-marked  hygro- 
scopic properties,  so  that  it  has  been  added  to  extracts  and  pill- 
masses  to  prevent  them  from  drying. 

Oil  forms  the  basis  of  four  of  the  nine  official  liniments.  Its 
application  in  pharmacy  is  restricted  entirely  to  preparations  for 
external  use.* 

Oleic  Acid  differs  from  oils  by  being  entirely  soluble  in  alcohol. 
It  is  more  readily  taken  up  by  the  skin  than  most  fatty  or  oily  sub- 
stances, and  is  the  basis  of  the  oleates,  three  of  which  are  official. 

Diluted  Acetic  Acid  is  the  menstruum  employed  in  the  manu- 
facture of  the  two  official  vinegars.  This  acid  has  some  antiseptic 
power  even  in  diluted  form,  but  its  preparations  are  not  as  perma- 
nent as  those  made  with  alcohol,  and  have  been  almost  completely 
replaced  by  them. 

Reviewing  the  above  menstrua,  it  will  be  seen  that  alcohol  is 
preferred  whenever  permanency  is  required;  that  water  is  selected 
as  the  basis  of  most  extemporaneous  prescriptions  because  it  offers 
no  disturbing  medicinal  qualities,  and  because  permanency  is  not 
so  necessary  as  in  the  case  of  pharmacopoeial  preparations. 

Comparing  the  physical  properties  of  the  menstrua  regarding 
volatility,  we  find  that  ether  boils  at  37°  C.,  alcohol  at  78°  C.  and 
water  at  100°  C.,  so  that  preparations  requiring  the  use  of  heat  for 

•  With  the  single  exception  of  Oleum  Phosphoratum,  or  phosphorated  oil. 


(3) 


19 

purposes  of  evaporation  or  distillation  will  be  more  injured  by  the 
use  of  water  than  by  the  use  of  alcohol,  because  the  temperature  is 
necessarily  higher.  Ether  is  excluded  from  more  general  use  on 
account  of  its  marked  medicinal  properties,  and  permissible  only  as 
a  solvent  to  be  completely  removed  by  evaporation  (as  in  the  case 
of  oleo-resins).  The  other  menstrua  are  so  rarely  used  as  to 
scarcely  demand  mention. 


BIOCHEMISTRY  DEPT. 


PHARMACEUTICAL  PROCESSES. 

In  order  to  prepare  drugs  in  a  form  adapted  for  administration, 
certain  processes  are  made  use  of  in  pharmacy.  The  following  is  a 
list  of  those  which  are  most  important: 

Desiccation,  Evaporation,  Maceration, 

Exsiccation,  Distillation,  Digestion, 

Granulation,  Precipitation,  Percolation, 

Sublimation,  Solution,  Trituration. 

Filtration, 

Desiccation  is  the  process  of  drying  medicinal  substances. 
Vegetable  drugs  contain  large  amounts  of  moisture  at  the  time  of 
collection,  and  drying  becomes  necessary  to  render  them  permanent, 
and  to  make  pulverization  possible.  A  great  reduction  in  bulk 
takes  place  at  the  same  time.  Occasionally,  even  inorganic  sub- 
stances are  dried  to  reduce  their  bulk ;  the  process  is  then  called 
exsiccation  (alumen  exsiccatum,  ferri  sulphas  exsiccatus). 

Granulation  is  the  process  of  obtaining  2.  chemical  in  the 
form  of  a  coarse  powder.  This  is  usually  done  by  evaporating  a  solu- 
tion to  dryness,  with  constant  stirring.  The  object  of  granulation 
is  to  furnish  crystalline  substances  in  a  form  facilitating  solution. 

Sublimation  is  the  process  by  which  a  volatile,  solid  substance 
is  converted  into  the  form  of  vapor  and  the  latter  condensed  to  a 
fine  powder. 

Evaporation  is  the  volatilization  of  liquids. 

Distillation  is  the  process  of  converting  a  volatile  liquid  into 
the  form  of  vapor  and  of  condensing  the  latter  to  the  liquid  state. 
The  process  is  carried  out  in  an  apparatus  called  a  still,  which  is 
supplied  with  a  worm  or  condenser. 

Precipitation  is  the  process  of  obtaining  solids  in  the  form 
of  a  fine  powder  by  throwing  them  out  of  solution  in  solid  form. 

The  official  calcii  carbonas  praecipitatus  may  be  taken  as  an 
example  of  this  process.  In  its  preparation  solutions  of  calcium 
chloride  and  of  sodium  carbonate  are  mixed  in  equivalent  quan- 
tities ;  mutual  decomposition  takes  place,  calcium  carbonate  being 
precipitated,   while   sodium    chloride    remains    in    solution.     The 

(20) 


1  (X  "^j^^^('\jKyi.^<^M^  uOt^/XXjic^ 


i^yCy^L^^-^^ 


21 

precipitate  is  collected  on  a  filter  and  washed  until  free  from 
sodium  chloride.  The  dried  precipitate  forms  the  official  pre- 
cipitated calcium  carbonate ;  like  other  powders  obtained  by  this 
method,  it  is  in  finer  form  that  it  is  possible  to  obtain  it  by  pulveri- 
zation. 

All  of  the  processes  mentioned  thus  far  are  seldom  employed 
by  the  retail  pharmacist,  while  he  frequently  makes  use  of  the 
following : 

Solution. — In  pharmacy,  this  term  is  used  when  a  fluid  or 
solid  substance  is  mixed  with  a  Hquid,  without  the  loss  of  the 
transparency  of  the  latter.  It  is  the  process  most  frequently  em- 
ployed in  extemporaneous  pharmacy ;  in  official  pharmacy,  it  is 
used  in  the  preparation  of  many  of  the  solutions,  spirits,  waters  and 
syrups. 

Filtration  is  the  process  of  separating  liquids  from  suspended 
insoluble  particles  by  passing  them  through  a  porous  medium.  In 
pharmacy,  the  latter  is  unsized  paper  and  the  object  sought  is  to 
obtain  the  liquid  in  a  perfectly  transparent  condition. 

Maceration  is  the  process  of  extracting  medicinal  substances 
by  allowing  them  to  remain  in  contact  with  a  liquid  for  a  specified 
length  of  time. 

The  preparation  of  a  tincture  by  this  process  may  be  described 
as  follows :  The  comminuted  drug  is  placed  in  a  bottle,  the 
required  amount  of  menstruum  is  poured  over  it  and  the  whole  is 
allowed  to  stand  for  a  period  of  from  one  to  two  weeks,  the  bottle 
being  frequently  shaken ;  at  the  end  of  this  time  the  mixture  is 
filtered.  The  disadvantage  of  this  method  lies  in  its  slowness,  its 
advantage  in  that  of  thorough  exhaustion;  no  special  skill  is 
required  on  the  part  of  the  operator. 

Digestion  is  maceration  at  a  moderate  temperature.  It  is 
rarely  employed. 

Percolation  is  the  process  of  exhausting  drugs  by  displace-^ 
'ment  The  powdered  substance  is  moistened  with  the  menstruum 
and  allowed  to  swell,  to  satisfy  its  capillarity;  it  is  then  packed  in 
(  a  receptacle,  called  a  percolator,  and  exhausted  by  the  gradual  de- 
scent of  the  liquid  through  the  powder.  For  the  successful  execu- 
tion of  this  process  it  is  necessary  that  the  drug  be  of  uniform 
V  fineness,  the  degree  of  comminution  depending  on  the  physical 
character  of  the  drug,  the  density  of  the  menstruum  and  the  quan- 


22 


tity  of  drug  employed.  These  factors  will  also  influence  the 
amount  of  force  used  in  packing  the  powder  after  the  latter  has 
been  moistened  with  the  menstruum.  A  certain  degree  of  swelling 
always  takes  place  as  the  result  of  this  moistening,  because  the 
drug  again  takes  up  some  of  the  moisture  it  has  lost  in  the  drying 
previous  to  pulverization.  A  pledget  of  absorbent  cotton  is  now 
inserted  into  the  neck  of  the  percolator  and  the  powder  is  packed, 
in  successive  layers,  in  a  uniform  manner.  A  quantity  of  the  men- 
struum is  then  poured  over  the  powder,  care  being  taken  not  to  stir 
up  the  surface ;  this  is  best  prevented  by  covering  the  upper  layer 
of  the  drug  with  a  sheet  of  filtering  paper.  When  the  liquid  begins 
to  drop  from  the  lower  orifice,  the  process  may  be  interrupted, 
sufficient  liquid  added  to  cover  the  surface,  and  the  whole  left  to 
macerate  for  a  specified  length  of  time.  At  the  end  of  this  period, 
the  liquid  is  allowed  to  flow,  drop  by  drop,  from  the  lower  orifice, 
and  sufficient  liquid  is  added,  from  time  to  time,  to  keep  the  powder 
continually  covered  with  menstruum,  until  the  process  is  completed. 
If  the  first  portions  are  not  clear,  they  are  returned  until  the  liquid 
issues  in  a  transparent  condition,  before  any  more  menstruum  is 
added. 

Theoretically,  percolation  is  a  perfect  process  ;  it  can  be  made 
practically  so  by  careful  observance  of  all  the  precautions  mentioned. 
The  liquid  becomes  specifically  heavier,  through  the  solution  of  solu- 
ble principles,  as  it  passes  through  the  powder  and  issues  from  the 
percolator  in  a  saturated  condition.  Each  successive  portion 
becomes  lighter  in  color  and  contains  less  of  the  active  constitu- 
ents of  the  drug  as  determined  by  taste,  odor,  color  and  specific 
gravity;  when  the  process  is  finished,  nothing  but  menstruum 
should  be  left  in  the  drug,  together  with  the  insoluble  principles  of 
the  latter.  Obviously,  the  full  extraction  of  the  drug  depends 
largely  upon  the  skill  of  the  operator,  and  becomes  relatively  an 
easier  task  as  the  proportion  of  menstruum  to  drug  increases  ;  thus 
a  tincture  is  more  easily  prepared  so  as  to  contain  all  the  soluble 
constituents  of  a  medicinal  substance  than  the  more  concentrated 
fluid  extract.  For  this  reason,  the  pharmacopoeia  directs  macera- 
tion to  precede  percolation  in  many  instances  and  in  the  manufacture 
of  fluid  extracts,  orders  percolation  to  be  continued  until  the  drug 
is  exhausted,  without  regard  to  the  total  quantity  of  menstruum 
required. 


'^    ^ 


^-c'v  o  ^  ^^^^-^ 


23 

Maceration  is  a  slow  and  tedious  process  as  compared  to  per- 
colation, but  has  the  advantage  of  always  yielding  a  uniform  pro- 
duct, even  in  inexperienced  hands.  The  drug  is  simply  placed  in 
a  convenient  receptacle,  the  liquid  added  and  the  mixture  shaken 
occasionally.  The  portions  of  the  liquid  in  contact  with  the  drug 
gradually  become  saturated  with  its  soluble  constituents,  but  become 
specifically  heavier  and  no  new  portions  of  menstruum  act  on 
the  substance,  unless  the  whole  is  occasionally  mixed  by  shak- 
ing ;  at  the  end  of  the  specified  period  of  time,  the  liquid  requires 
filtration.  Percolation  yields  at  once  a  clear,  finished  product,  with 
a  great  saving  of  time.  It  is  therefore  preferred  in  the  pharmaco- 
poeia wherever  the  physical  character  of  the  drug  permits  this  form 
of  extraction  ;  in  many  cases  maceration  is  combined  with  it.  The 
latter  process  is  selected  when  the  medicinal  substance  is  very 
soluble  in  the  menstruum,  or  where  it  becomes  too  pasty  or  other- 
wise unsuitable  to  allow  the  passage  of  a  solvent. 

Trituration  is  the  process  of  reducing  solids  to  a  fine  powder 
by  means  of  a  mortar  and  pestle. 


VEGETABLE  ACTIVE  PRINCIPLES. 

Vegetable  drugs  owe  their  activity  to  a  class  of  substances 
usually  known  as  active  principles;  these  differ  from  proximate 
principles  merely  by  the  fact  that  the  latter  is  a  more  general  term 
and  embraces  also  vegetable  principles  which  are  physiologically 
inert.  In  all  cases,  if  the  action  of  a  drug  is  found  to  reside  in  one 
principle,  it  is  best  to  separate  this  and  employ  it  in  a  concentrated 
and  pure  form  ;  as  it  is  impossible  in  many  instances  to  trace  the 
therapeutic  value  of  a  vegetable  substance  to  a  single  compound, 
the  liquid  preparations  are  made  use  of  instead. 

The  intelligent  exhibition  of  vegetable  drugs  in  the  form  of 
active  principles  or  of  preparations  requires  a  knowledge  of  the 
physical  properties  of  such  substances  and  especially  of  their 
behavior  toward  solvents.  The  most  important  classes  of  active 
principles  and  their  best  solvents  may  be  tabulated  as  follows : 

Active  Principle.  Solvent. 

Volatile  Oils Alcohol,  very  slightly  soluble  in  water. 

Resins Alcohol,  insoluble  in  water. 

Balsams Alcohol,  insoluble  in  water. 

Oleo-resins Ether. 

Alkaloids Alcohol  or  water  (or  diluted  alcohol) 

Glucosides 

Bitter  Principles "  "  " 

Neutral  Principles 

Fixed  Oils Ether,  chloroform,  benzin  ;  are  insolu- 
ble in  alcohol. 

Volatile  (or  Essential)  Oils  are  vegetable  principles  which 
can  be  distilled  unchanged  in  the  presence  of  water  or  steam.  They 
form  the  odorous  principles  of  many  plants,  so  that  in  France  they  are 
known  by  the  name  of  essences;  they  are  readily  dissolved  by  alcohol 
with  the  production  oi  spirits  -dLXidi  are  only  slightly  soluble  in  water; 
the  latter  is  distinctly  flavored  by  the  addition,  the  preparation  then 
being  known  as  a  medicated  water.  Volatile  oils,  in  contra- distinc- 
tion to  fixed  oils,  do  not  leave  a  permanent  greasy  stain  on  paper ; 
medicinally,  they  are  active  irritants  in  concentrated  form  and  must 

(24) 


25 

be  given  in  emulsion  or  capsule.  Chemically,  they  are  compounds 
of  hydrogen  and  carbon  (hydro-carbons) ;  a  more  limited  number 
contain  oxygen  in  addition  and  a  few  contain  sulphur. 

Resins  are  complex  organic  compounds,  the  type  of  which  is 
colophony  or  ordinary  rosin.  They  are  brittle  solids,  fusible  at 
higher  temperatures  and  then  readily  miscible  with  oils  and  fats. 
Resins  are  soluble  in  alcohol  and  insoluble  in  water,  so  that  they 
precipitate  when  the  latter  is  added  to  an  alcoholic  solution.* 
Alkalies  transform  them  into  soaps.  A  few  are  soluble  in  ether. 
Rcsinoids  were  formerly  extensively  prescribed  by  the  eclectic 
school  of  practitioners — they  were  prepared  by  precipitating  tinc- 
tures with  water  and  were  active  in  those  cases  in  which  the  active 
principle  resided  in  a  resin  and  inert  in  the  great  majority  ot 
instances,  as  relatively  few  drugs  owe  their  virtues  to  this  class  of 
substances.     Resins  possess  some  preservative  action. 

Balsams  are  resinous  substances,  containing  one  or  more  of 
the  aromatic  acids  (benzoic  or  cinnamic  acid).  They  are  soluble  in 
alcohol  and  have  some  antiseptic  properties. 

Oleo-Resins  are  mixtures  of  volatile  oils  and  resins  and  par- 
take of  the  characteristics  of  each  class.  The  official  oleo-resins 
are  made  by  exhausting  the  drug  with  ether  and  distilling  off  the 
latter ;  they  represent  the  activity  of  the  respective  drugs  in  very 
concentrated  form  and  are  given  in  small  dose. 

Glucosides  are  peculiar  substances  which  split  up  under  the 
action  of  mineral  acids,  alkalies  or  vegetable  ferments,  so  as  to  form 
glucose  and  a  new  principle ;  this  second  principle  is  a  different 
compound  from  the  original  glucoside.  Few  drugs  owe  their 
activity  to  this  class  of  compounds,  though  occasionally  they  are 
very  energetic  remedies.  Digitalis  contains  a  number  of  glucosides, 
and  strophanthus  yields  the  powerful  glucoside  strophanthin.  Santo- 
nin and  salicin  are  official  glucosides.  Alcohol  and  water  form 
equally  efficient  menstrua  for  the  solution  of  these  principles,  and 
diluted  alcohol  is  usually  adopted  for  their  extraction. 

Bitter  Principles  are  characterized  by  a  bitter  taste  and  tonic 
properties ;  they  readily  dissolve  in  alcohol,  water  or  diluted 
alcohol. 

Neutral  Principles  are  devoid  of  any  decided  chemical 
properties  and,  as  a  rule,  have  no  marked  toxic  action.     Picrotoxin, 

*  As  in  the  preparation  of  the  official  resin  of  podophyllum  and  resin  of  scammony. 


26 

the  neutral  principle  of  cocculus  indicus  (or  fish  berries),  is  an  excep- 
tion and  forms  a  violent  poison.  The  neutral  principles  are  soluble 
in  alcohol,  water  or  diluted  alcohol. 

Fixed  Oils  are  liquids  of  vegetable  or  animal  origin  which  are 
insoluble  in  water  and  alcohol,*  but  soluble  in  ether,  chloroform, ben- 
zin,  benzol  and  carbon  disulphide.  Chemically,  they  are  mainly  com- 
posed of  olcin,  a  compound  of  oleic  acid  and  glycerin,  and  are 
decomposed  by  alkalies  with  the  formation  oi soaps  and  free  glycerin ; 
they  leave  a  permanent  greasy  stain  on  paper.  As  a  rule,  fixed  oils 
do  not  represent  the  activity  of  drugs  and  occasionally  interfere  with 
the  extraction  of  the  soluble  constituents  of  oily  seeds;  exception- 
ally, they  are  very  active.  Such  examples  are  croton  oil,  castor 
oil  and  cod-liver  oil,  which  have  marked  medicinal  virtues.  Fixed 
oils  are  usually  administered  without  any  addition — when  their  oily 
taste  is  too  nauseating,  they  are  combined  with  acacia  and  water  in 
the  form  of  emulsion,  or  may  be  enclosed  in  capsules.  Some  of 
them  are  absorbed  at  least  in  part  by  the  skin. 

Alkaloids  are  by  far  the  most  important  class  of  active  princi- 
ciples  found  in  plants.  With  few  exceptions,  they  are  active 
medicinal  agents,  in  over-dose  violent  poisons,  and  in  almost  all 
instances  are  the  active  principles  of  plants  which  contain  them. 
Chemically,  they  are  the  organic  counterparts  of  the  alkalies  of  inor- 
ganic chemistry — like  these,  they  turn  red  litmus  paper  blue  and 
combine  with  acids  to  form  salts.  With  the  exception  of  a  few 
liquid  and  volatile  alkaloids — notably  coniine,  sparteine,  lobeline  and 
nicotine — which  contain  no  oxygen,  they  are  solid,  non-volatile 
and  are  made  up  of  carbon,  hydrogen,  nitrogen  and  oxygen  ;  the 
latter  are  usually  white  and  crystalline  or  amorphous.  All  alka- 
loids are  soluble  in  alcohol,  usually  in  chloroform,  benzol,  benzin 
and  occasionally  in  ether ;  they  are  commonly  almost  insoluble  in 
water.  Their  salts,  on  the  other  hand,  show  directly  opposite 
properties  in  their  relation  to  solvents — they  are  readily  soluble  in 
water,  and  dissolved  with  greater  difficulty  by  alcohol,  chloroform, 
benzin,  benzol  and  ether.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  salts  are  in- 
variably preferred  to  the  alkaloids  themselves  when  they  are  given 
internally ;  so  common  has  this  practice  become  that  when  we 
speak  of  quinine  and  morphine,  we  mean  the  sulphate  of  quinine 
and  the  sulphate  of  morphine.     To  illustrate  the  relative  solubility 

*  Castor  Oil  is  the  only  fixed  oil  freely  soluble  in  alcohol. 


(4) 


27 

of  the  alkaloids  and  their  salts,  quinine  and  morphine  may  betaken 
as  examples,  comparing  them  with  their  sulphates  : 

Water.  Alcohol. 

Quinine 1670  parts  6  parts 

Quinine  Sulphate      740     "  65     " 

Quinine  Bisulphate 10     "  32     " 

Morphine 4350  parts  300  parts 

Morphine  Sulphate 21     "  702     " 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  addition  of  sulphuric  acid  makes  qui- 
nine sulphate  still  more  soluble  ;  this  is  true  of  any  acid,  so  that  a 
few  drops  of  hydrochloric  acid  added  to  a  mixture  containing 
quinine,  will  increase  the  solubility  of  the  latter.  It  is  equally  true 
that  an  addition  of  an  alkali  or  an  alkaline  salt  to  a  solution  of  an 
alkaloidal  salt  in  water  causes  a  precipitation  of  the  alkaloid,  because 
the  latter  is  again  made  insoluble  when  the  acid  is  removed  from  it 
by  chemical  decomposition.  Ammonia  will  precipitate  quinine 
from  a  solution  of  the  bisulphate  in  water,  because  the  alkaloids  are 
feeble  bases  and  ammonia,  as  the  stronger  base,  unites  with  the 
sulphuric  acid  to  form  ammonium  sulphate  ;  precipitation  occurs 
because  the  liberated  quinine  is  almost  insoluble  in  water.  It  is  not 
necessary  that  the  alkali  shall  be  as  pronounced  in  basic  properties  as 
ammonia,  but  many  inorganic  salts,  though  chemically  neutral,  are 
really  alkaline  to  test-paper  and  will  precipitate  alkaloids  from  the 
solutions  of  their  salts.  Borax,  the  sodium  borate,  and  sodium 
bicarbonate  are  really  acid  salts  according  to  their  formulae,  but 
alkaline  to  litmus ;  they  decompose  solutions  of  alkaloidal  salts, 
with  the  deposit  of  the  alkaloid. 

The  following  substances,  in  addition,  will  precipitate  alkaloids 
from  their  solutions  :  Tannic  acid,  potassio-mercuric  iodide  (formed 
when  potassium  iodide  and  mercuric  chloride  are  brought  together 
in  solution),  auric  chloride,  phospho-molybdic  acid  and  picric  acid. 
All  of  these,  except  tannic  acid,  are  rare  chemicals  and  are  interest- 
ing chiefly  in  establishing  the  identity  of  an  alkaloid.  Tannic  acid, 
however,  is  a  constituent  found  in  nearly  all  plants  (though  to  a 
variable  degree)  and  appears  in  all  infusions,  decoctions,  tinctures, 
extracts  and  fluid  extracts.  If  such  a  preparation  is  mixed  with  a 
solution  of  an  alkaloid,  an  insoluble  tannate  of  the  latter  is  formed  ; 
so  constant  is  this  reaction  that  tannic  acid  constitutes  a  valuable 
antidote  in  the  treatment  of  poisoning  by  toxic  drugs  containing 


28 

alkaloids,  although  the  resulting  tannate  is  slowly  soluble  in  the  gas- 
tric contents  and  must  be  removed  by  emetics  or  the  stomach-tube. 

The  iodides  and  bromides  of  alkaloids  are  soluble  with  great 
difficulty  and  are  precipitated  when  iodides  and  bromides  are 
prescribed  with  alkaloids  in  solution.  The  great  danger  in  dis- 
pensing such  a  prescription  lies  in  the  fact  that  precipitation  may 
not  be  immediate  and  the  alkaloid  be  present  in  a  quantity  so  small 
that  it  escapes  detection  unless  the  preparation  is  carefully  exam- 
ined— the  patient  may  pour  off,  carefully,  all  of  the  supernatant  liquid 
and  take  all  of  the  alkaloid  intended  for  the  whole  prescription,  in 
a  single  dose.  Such  occurrences  have  been  followed  by  fatal  effects 
in  several  instances. 

Alkaloids  may  be  administered  by  one  of  the  following 
methods  : 

1.  By  solution. 

2.  In  the  form  of  mixture. 

3.  In  powder  form, 

4.  In  pill  form. 

5.  Hypodermatically, 

As  quinine  (in  the  form  of  quinine  sulphate)  is  the  alkaloid 
most  frequently  employed,  it  may  be  taken  as  an  example,  although 
it  differs  from  most  other  members  of  this  group  by  a  relatively 
large  dose.     Quinine  may  be  given  by  any  of  the  methods  stated, 

I,  In  solution. — There  is  no  doubt  that  this  is  the  most  efficient 
method  of  administering  an  alkaloid,  if  it  is  to  be  given  by  way  of 
the  stomach.  It  is  open  to  the  objection  that  alkaloids  usually 
possess  a  bitter  or  acrid  taste,  which  in  many  cases  is  so  pro- 
nounced that  no  vehicle  will  completely  mask  it.  The  following 
prescription  will  illustrate  the  administration  of  quinine  in  solution : 

B 

Quininae  Sulphatis 5ij 

Acidi  Sulphurici  Diluti f  5iij 

Syrupi  Eriodictyi f^iij 

Solve. 

Signa:  A  teaspoonful  four  times  a  day. 

The  syrup  of  eriodictyon  (or  yerba  santa)  or  the  syrup  of 
orange  (made  from  the  tincture  of  the  frcsJi  peel)  are  excellent 


29 

vehicles  to  disguise  the  bitter  taste.  One  and  one-half  minim  of 
diluted  sulphuric  acid  (or  other  dilute  acid)  to  each  grain  will  suffice 
to  render  the  quinine  perfectly  soluble. 

2.  As  a  mixture,  in  suspension. — The  following  formulae  will 
illustrate  this  form  of  administration  : 

R  R 

Quininae      .    .    .  gr.xxxvj         Quininae  Sulphatis    .    .  5ij 

Acaciae   ....  3-^s         Acaciae 5^3 

Syrupi  Aurantii  .  f  5iij  Extract!      Glycyrrhizae 

Misce.     Signa :    A  teaspoonful  Fluidi f  3ij 

to  a  child   2  years         Aquae   Ammoniae   .    .       gtt.x 
old.  Syrupi  quantum  sufficit 

ut  fiant f  5iij 

Misce,    Signa :     A    teaspoonful 
four  times  a  daj'. 

The  first  formula  contains  the  alkaloid  in  preference  to  the 
sulphate.  In  this  case  it  is  desirable  to  make  the  quinine  less 
soluble,  so  as  to  hide  its  bitter  taste  more  effectually. 

The  second  formula  contains  fluid  extract  of  licorice.  This 
owes  its  persistent  sweet  taste  to  glycyrrhizm,  which  is  insoluble  in 
acid,  but  readily  soluble  in  alkaline  media.  The  addition,  there 
fore,  of  a  few  drops  of  ammonia,  will  render  the  glycyrrhizin  more 
soluble,  while  the  quinine  becomes  less  soluble,  increasing  the  sweet 
and  decreasing  the  bitter  taste  of  the  preparation. 

3.  In  the  form  of  powder. — Quinine  in  the  form  of  powder  is 
very  efficient  and  not  unpleasant  to  the  taste  when  enclosed  in  a 
cachet  of  wafer-sheet.  The  powder  may  also  be  mixed  immediately 
before  administration  with  a  little  syrup  of  eriodictyon  (yerba 
santa),  syrup  of  licorice,  or  covered  with  chocolate, 

4.  In  pill  form, — Quinine  is  prescribed  more  frequently  in  the 
form  of  pills  than  any  other  drug,  and  can  be  conveniently  exhib- 
ited in  this  way.  Quinine  pills  are  made  in  large  quantities  by  the 
manufacturing  pharmacist;  the  sulphate  is  also  extensively  used  in 
the  form  of  compressed  tablets.  All  machine-made  pills  and  tablets 
are  uncertain  as  to  composition,  age,  solubility,  and  hence  medi- 
cinal value — an  extemporaneous  preparation  is  much  more  certain 
in  action,  but  even  this  method  of  administration  must  rank  last  in 
the  order  of  efficiency  when  compared  with  the  administration  in 
the  form  of  solution,  mixture  or  powder. 


30 

5-  Hypodcrmatically. — This  is  really  a  sub-division  of  the  first 
method.  Quinine  is  rarely  p;iven  hypodcrmatically  because  of  its 
large  and  bulky  dose,  though  occasionally  this  method  is  resorted 
to  in  emergencies,  when  the  effect  is  quickly  desired.  A  solution 
may  be  made  as  follows  : 

B 

Quininae  Sulphatis 5i  gr.xx 

Liq.  Acidi  Tartarici  (ad  saturandum) f5iss 

Aquam ad        fSss 

Misce.     Signa:  For  hypodermatic  use.     Dose,  f5i  =  20  grains. 

With  the  exception  of  quinine  and  caffeine,  all  the  official 
alkaloids  are  typically  suited  for  hypodermatic  administration — 
they  are  soluble  in  water,  are  unirritating  and  given  in  small  doses. 
For  this  purpose,  it  is  best  to  rely  on  the  hypodermatic  tablets  of 
the  manufacturer — the  dose  of  many  alkaloids  is  so  minute  that 
accuracy  cannot  be  obtained  by  the  ordinary  prescription  balance, 
while  the  chance  of  error  is  materially  lessened  by  the  preparation 
of  large  quantities.  Hypodermatic  tablets  are  readily  soluble  and 
usually  very  reliable. 


PRINCIPLES  FOUND  IN  ALL  PLANTS. 

Certain  principles  are  common  to  all  plants ;  these  are  usually 
inert  medicinally,  but  interesting  because  they  appear  in  liquid 
preparations  and  are  the  most  frequent  cause  of  pharmaceutical  in- 
compatibility. Those  occurring  most  frequently  may  be  arranged 
in  a  table  like  the  following : 

Prmciple.  Solvent. 

Tannic  Acid, Glycerin,  alcohol,  water. 

Gum, Water,  insoluble  in  alcohol. 

Starch,    

Albumen, " 

Extractive, "      much  less  soluble  in  alcohol. 

Coloring  Matter,  ..•*..         "  u        u         u 

Cellulose  (Woody  Fibre),    .    .  Insoluble  in  ordinary  menstrua. 

Tannic  Acid  is  a  constituent  of  nearly  all  vegetable  drugs,  but 
is  classed  among  inert  principles  unless  present  in  quantities  large 
enough  to  stamp  the  substance  as  an  active  astringent.  As  tannic 
acid  is  soluble  in  alcohol  and  water,  it  is  contained  in  all  alcoholic 
and  aqueous  preparations  of  vegetable  substances,  and  by  its  action 
on  iron  and  the  alkaloids,  frequently  renders  tinctures,  infusions, 
decoctions  and  fluid  extracts  incompatible  with  solutions  containing 
either  of  these  substances.  In  both  instances  the  action  is  chemi- 
cal;  in  the  first  through  the  precipitation  of  an  inky  tannate  of 
iron,  in  the  second  through  the  formation  of  an  insoluble  tannate 
of  the  alkaloid.  Tannic  acid,  if  present  in  considerable  amount  in 
tinctures  or  fluid  extracts,  is  very  apt  to  cause  precipitation  in  time ; 
in  some  cases  this  is  so  marked  that  the  entire  liquid  becomes  a 
gelatinous  mass.  The  addition  of  glycerin  prevents  or  retards  this 
precipitation  and  is  frequently  made  to  astringent  tinctures. 

Gum  is  almost  inert  medicinally.  It  is  characterized  by  form- 
ing a  viscid  liquid  (mucilage)  with  water  and  by  being  insoluble  in 
strong  alcohol. 

Starch  appears  only  in  infusions  or  decoctions,  as  it  is  not 
soluble  in  alcohol  or  cold  water.      It  swells  to  a  paste  in  hot  water 

(31) 


32 

yields  a  blue  color  with  iodine,  and  is  converted  into  dextrin  and 
glucose  by  dilute  acids  and  certain  ferments.  Starch  is  medicin- 
ally inert  and  decomposes  rapidly  in  aqueous  solution. 

Albumen. — Plants  contain  nitrogenous  principles  which  resem- 
ble the  albumens  found  in  animals.  Most  of  the  vegetable  albumen 
is  soluble  in  cold  water,  but  precipitated  by  boiling.  In  solution,  it 
is  subject  to  decomposition,  like  gum,  starch,  coloring  matter  and 
extractive ;  like  these  substances,  it  possesses  no  medicinal  value. 

Coloring  Matter  is  present  in  all  vegetable  drugs  and  is 
more  soluble  in  water  than  in  alcohol,  so  that  aqueous  preparations 
are  darker  than  those  containing  alcohol  as  a  menstruum. 

Extractive  is  the  unclassified  residue  left  after  determining 
all  of  the  principles  mentioned.  It  is  more  soluble  in  water  than  in 
alcohol  and  is  very  soluble  in  glycerin. 


PULVERES— POWDERS. 

A  simple  method  of  administering  many  drugs  is  in  the  form 
of  powder.  For  this  purpose,  a  substance  may  be  soluble  or  insolu- 
ble ;  it  must  be  non-nauseating  or  non-irritating,  and  the  actual 
bulk  of  the  individual  dose  should  not  exceed  a  volume  easily 
swallowed.    It  must  be  neither  deliquescent,  efflorescent,  nor  volatile. 

Officially,  powders  are  recognized  as  pulveres,  and  rnay  be 
svnple  or  compound.  The  only  simple  powder  recognized  by  the 
pharmacopoeia  is  Pulvis  Opii,  the  official  name,  in  all  other  instances, 
indicating  the  drug  irrespective  of  its  state  of  fineness.  Exception 
was  taken  in  the  case  of  opium,  because  ordinary  crude  opium  loses 
a  large  percentage  of  water  in  drying  previous  to  pulverization, 
and  therefore  contains  proportionately  a  much  greater  amount  of 
morphine.  All  other  pharmacopoeial  powders  are  compound,  i.  e., 
contain  more  than  one  ingredient. 

In  dispensing  substances  in  the  form  of  powder,  it  is  customary 
to  reduce  them  to  the  proper  degree  of  fineness  in  a  mortar,  ensur- 
ing perfect  sub-division  ;  to  divide  the  entire  amount  into  the  re- 
quired number  of  parts  by  distributing  it  evenly  over  a  number  of 
powder-papers  and  finishing  by  folding  each  paper  securely  over 
the  enclosed  powder.  Two  methods  are  in  vogue  which  differ 
merely  as  to  the  manner  of  folding. 

In  prescription  work,  it  is  not  necessary  to  weigh  each  powder 
separately,  but  sufficiently  accurate  results  are  obtained  by  dividing 
the  powder  into  little  heaps  on  the  specified  number  of  papers  and 
equalizing  the  amounts  with  a  spatula.  The  finished  powders  are 
conveniently  dispensed  in  sliding  pasteboard  boxes. 

Five  of  the  nine  official  powders  are  much  used ;  they  are  as 
follows  : 

Pulvis  Cretae  Compositus  (Compound  Chalk  Powder). — 
Contains  Prepared  Chalk,  Acacia  and  Sugar.  A  mild  ant-acid, 
used  in  the  preparation  of  the  Compound  Chalk  Mixture. 

Pulvis  Effervescens  Compositus  (Compound  Effervescing,  or 
Seidlitz  Powder). — The  white  paper  contains  35  grains  of  Tartaric 
Acid,  the  blue  paper  a  mixture  of  40  grains  of  sodium  bicarbonate 
and  of  two  drachms  of  potassium   and    sodium   tartrate  (Rochelle 

(33) 


34 

salt).  It  is  administered  by  dissolving  each  powder,  separately,  in 
a  half-tumblcrful  of  water,  mixing  the  solutions  and  drinking  while 
effervescence  continues.  A  very  agreeable,  saline  laxative,  in 
which  carbonic  acid  gas  is  set  free  by  the  action  of  the  tartaric  acid 
on  the  sodium  bicarbonate,  forming  sodium  tartrate.  The  Rochellc 
salt  remains  unchanged.    ..Dose,  from  one  to  two  powders. 

PuLVis  Glycvrrhizae  CoMPOSiTUS  (Compound  Licorice  Pow- 
der).— A  favorite  laxative,  containing  senna,  glycyrrhiza,  washed  sul- 
phur, oil  of  fennel  and  sugar ;  the  senna  and  sulphur  acting  as 
cathartics,  the  oil  of  fennel  as  a  corrective,  while  the  sugar  and 
glyc}Trhiza  make  the  preparation  more  palatable.  The  dose  is 
from  one  to  two  teaspoonfuls,  preferably  mixed  with  hot  water 
and  cooled  ;  this  renders  the  draught  less  griping. 

PuLVis  Ipecacuanhae  et  Opii  (Powder  of  Ipecac  and  Opium, 
or  Dover's  Powder). — Represents  lo  per  cent,  each  of  ipecac  and 
opium,  with  80  per  cent,  of  sugar  of  milk  as  the  diluent;  in  full 
doses  of  10  grains,  acts  as  a  valuable  diaphoretic. 

PuLVis  Jalapae  Compositus. — The  compound  powder  of  jalap 
is  a  safe  hydragogue  cathartic  in  doses  of  20  to  30  grains.  It  con- 
tains 35  per  cent,  of  powdered  jalap  with  65  per  cent,  of  powdered 
potassium  bitartrate  (cream  of  tartar). 


AQUAE— WATERS. 

Waters  or  aquae  are  solutions  of  volatile  principles  in  water. 
Eighteen  waters  are  official  and,  with  four  exceptions,  they  are  in- 
tended as  vehicles  for  the  administration  of  more  powerful  medi- 
cines.    The  exceptions  are: 

Aqua  Ammoniae  (Water  of  Ammonia,  erroneously  called  Spirit 
of  Hartshorn). — Contains  10  per  cent,  of  gaseous  NH3. 

Aqua  Ammoniae  Fortior  (Stronger  Water  of  Ammonia). — 
Contains  28  per  cent,  of  NH3.  Both  are  cardiac  stimulants,  when 
used  in  doses  of  10-15  minims,  imicJi  diluted. 

Aqua  Chlori  is  a  4  per  cent,  solution  of  chlorine  gas  in  water. 
Used  as  a  disinfectant  and  antiseptic. 

Aqua  Hydrogenii  Dioxidi  holds  in  solution  3  per  cent,  of 
pure  HoOji  is  a  powerful,  non-poisonous  antiseptic,  and  especially 
valuable  because  of  its  pus-destroying  qualities. 

Ten  waters  are  solutions  of  volatile  oils  in  water,  and  the  pre- 
scriber  may  select  any  of  the  following  according  to  taste:    Anise 


BIOCHEMISTRY  DEPT. 


(5) 


35 

Cinnamon,  Fennel,  Peppermint,  Spearmint,  Bitter  Almond,  Orange 
Flower  or  Rose.  Creosote,  Camphor  and  Chloroform  water  have 
a  slight  medicinal  action,  but  are  mainly  intended  as  diluents;  those 
containing  volatile  oils,  have  a  slight  carminative  effect. 

Note. — Volatile  oils  form  the  aromatic  principles  of  many- 
plants.  They  are  liquids,  usually  lighter  than  water,  have  a  char- 
acteristic odor  of  their  own,  are  soluble  in  alcohol,  sparingly  in 
water  (though  sufficiently  so  to  impart  their  flavor  to  it)  and  can  be 
distilled  unchanged  in  the  presence  of  the  latter.  Volatile  oils  do 
not  leave  a  permanent  greasy  stain  on  paper.  They  are  carmina- 
tive in  action,  and  are  obtained  by  distillation  with  water  or  steam, 
by  expression  and  more  rarely  by  solution. 

Official  waters  are  prepared  by  distillation  or  solution.  Distil- 
lation yields  the  best  products,  because  by  this  method  the  oil 
distils  in  a  fresh  condition  and  impregnates  the  water  sufficiently 
with  its  odor ;  this  process  is  so  inconvenient  that  it  is  used  only 
in  the  preparation  of  orange  flower  and  rose  water. 

Solution  is  the  process  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  the 
other  official  waters.  Mere  agitation  with  water  dissolves  creosote 
and  oil  of  bitter  almonds  with  the  production  of  the  respective 
waters,  but  most  of  the  oils  are  not  so  readily  soluble.  Fine  sub- 
division and  consequent  extension  of  surface  is  brought  about: 

1.  By  triturating  the  oil  with  an  insoluble  powder  like  magne- 
sium carbonate  (U.  S.  P.,  1870),  or  precipitated  calcium  phosphate 
(U.  S.  P.,  1890). 

2.  By  spreading  the  oil  on  cotton  (U.  S.  P.,  1880). 

In  the  first  instance,  water  is  added  slowly  and  the  whole 
filtered ;  in  the  second,  the  cotton  is  packed  and  percolated  with 
water.  Calcium  phosphate  is  preferred  in  the  present  pharmaco- 
poeia because  of  its  complete  insolubility.  Magnesium  carbonate 
yields  a  brilliantly  clear  water,  but  a  trace  of  dissolved  carbonate  may 
render  the  preparation  incompatible  with  delicate  chemical  mixtures. 

Waters  may  be  prepared  extemporaneously  by  the  following 
(official)  formula : 

Olei  Cinnamomi C.  c.  0.2  (=  circa  gtt.  iv) 

Calcii  Phosphatis  Praecipitati  .  Gm.  0.4  (=  gr.  vj) 
Aquae  Destillatae  quantum  suf- 

ficit  ut  fiant C.  c.  lOO.O  (=  f Siij  foiij) 


36 

Triturate  the  precipitated  calcium  pliosphate  with  the  oil.  Add 
the  water  gradually,  and  filter  (through  a  plaited  filter),  adding 
enough  water,  through  the  filter,  to  make  lOO  c.  c. 

By  substituting  the  corresponding  volatile  oils,  any  of  the 
other  waters  may  be  obtained.  Rose  and  orange  flower  water  are 
always  distilled  from  the  fresh  flowers,  while  aqua  ammoniae, 
aqua  ammoniae  fortior  and  aqua  hydrogenii  dioxidi  are  prepared 
by  the  manufacturing  chemist.  Camphor  water  is  made  by  satu-. 
rating  absorbent  cotton  with  a  spirit  of  camphor,  drying  spontane- 
ously to  drive  off  the  alcohol,  packing  in  a  funnel  and  percolating 
with  water.  Chlorine  water  is  distilled  water  saturated  with  the 
gas. 

Note. — The  pharmaceutical  differs  from  the  chemical  filter  by 
being  folded  so  as  to  expose  all  of  its  surface  and  thus  hasten  filtra- 
tion. In  pharmacy  the  filtrate  is  desired,  in  chemistry  the  precipi- 
tate. 

Waters  are  intended  as  vehicles,  and  with  the  exception  of  the 
four  above  mentioned,  are  given  in  doses  of  one-half  to  one  fluid 
ounce. 


LIQUORES— SOLUTIONS. 

LiQUORES  (Solutions)  are  solutions  of  non-volatile  substances 
in  water,  with  the  exception  of  those  preparations  classified  as  syrups, 
infusions  and  decoctions.  Naturally,  this  admits  of  a  large  variety  of 
preparations,  and  no  general  rules  are  applicable.  Solution  may  be 
effected  by  simply  dissolving  the  substance  in  water,  or  by  chemical 
solution,  in  which  the  original  nature  of  the  principles  dissolved  is 
thoroughly  changed,  and  a  new  substance,  with  new  reactions  and 
uses,  produced.  The  preparation  of  a  saturated  solution  of  lime  in 
water,  the  official  liquor  calcis  (lime-water),  is  an  example  of  the 
first  class,  that  of  simple  solution;  in  the  preparation  of  the 
oflficial  liquor  magnesii  citratis,  magnesium  carbonate  is  dissolved  in 
an  aqueous  solution  of  citric  acid,  both  losing  their  identity,  with 
the  formation  of  a  new  compound,  magnesium  citrate,  and  the 
evolution  of  carbonic  acid  gas.  The  latter  is  true  chemical  solution. 
Many  of  the  liquores  are  active  and  poisonous,  as  liquor  potassii 
arsenitis.  Fowler's  solution. 


.       37 

Of  the  twenty-four  official  solutions,  the  following  deserve 
special  attention  : 

Liquor  Calcis  (Solution  of  Lime). — The  ordinary  lime-water, 
a  saturated  solution  of  calcium  hydrate  in  water.  A  useful,  mildly 
alkaline  preparation,  frequently  added  to  milk  to  make  it  more 
digestible.     Dose  f 5i — foiv. 

Liquor  Iodi  Compositus  (Compound  Solution  of  Iodine,  or 
Lugol's  Solution). — Contains  5  per  cent,  of  iodine  in  a  10  per  cent, 
solution  of  potassium  iodide  in  water.  Used  wherever  a  stronger 
preparation  than  the  normal  saturated  solution  of  iodine  in  water  is 
desired,  the  potassium  iodide  increasing  the  solubility  of  the  iodine. 

Liquor  Plumb:  Subacetatis  Dilutus  (Diluted  Solution  of 
Subacetate  of  Lead). — Commonly  called  lead-water.  Is  made  by 
diluting  three  parts  of  Goulard's  extract  with  97  of  water.  A 
sedative  lotion,  often  combined  with  laudanum,  as  lead-water  and 
laudanum. 

Liquor  Potassae  is  a  5  per  cent,  solution  of  potassium 
hydrate  in  water ;  used  where  a  pronounced  alkaline  effect  is  desired. 

These  four  liquores  are  made  by  simple  solution  ;  the  following 
are  prepared  by  chemical  solution  : 

Liquor  Ammonii  Acetatis  (Solution  of  Ammonium  Acetate, 
or  Spirit  of  Mindererus). — A  freshly  prepared  solution  of  ammonium 
acetate  containing  free  carbonic  acid  gas.  A  mild  diuretic  and 
diaphoretic  in  doses  of  foi — f  5ss. 

Liquor  Ferri  et  Ammonii  Acetatis  (Solution  of  Iron  and 
Ammonium  Acetate). — This  is  Basham's  mixture,  a  mild  diuretic. 
Dose  foi — foiv. 

Liquor  Ferri  Subsulphatis,  or  solution  of  Ferric  Subsulphate, 
is  used  under  the  name  of  Monsell's  solution  to  stop  hemorrhage 
when  mechanical  means  cannot  be  applied. 

Liquor  Magnesii  Citratis  (Solution  of  Magnesium  Citrate), 
the  popular  citrate  of  magnesia,  is  a  pleasant  saline  laxative.  The 
dose  is  one  half  of  a  bottleful  at  bed  time,  followed  by  the  remainder 
in  the  morning,  if  necessary.  The  bottles  measure  twelve  ounces, 
and  the  solution  is  effervescent  by  being  saturated  with  carbonic 
acid  gas.     It  should  be  freshly  prepared. 

Liquor  Plumbi  Subacetatis  is  interesting  chiefly  because 
lead-water  is  prepared  from  it.  This  solution  is  known  as  Goulard's 
Extract,  is  a  poison  and  intended  only  for  external  use. 


38 

MISTURAE— MIXTURES. 

This  term  is  commonly  applied  to  liquids  which  contain  two  or 
more  ingredients ;  in  pharmacy  it  is  restricted  to  aqueous  prepara- 
tions containing  some  solid  substance  in  suspension,  intended  for 
internal  use.  Only  four  mixtures  are  official,  and  none  of  these  are 
permanent  preparations.     Three  are  important : 

MiSTURA  Cretae  (Chalk  Mixture). — A  convenient  method  of 
administering  a  mild  astringent  antacid;  given  in  doses  of  f5i-f5iv, 
and  contains  compound  chalk  powder,  cinnamon  water  and  water. 

MisTURA  Ferri  Composita  (Compound  Iron  Mixture). — 
This  is  Griffith's  mixture,  which  contains  ferrous  carbonate  in  sus- 
pension.    Dose,  fSi-fSij. 

MiSTURA  Glvcyrrhizae  Composita  (Compound  M  xture  of 
Glycyrrhiza). — The  well-known  "  brown  mixture,"  which  has  long 
been  used  as  a  basis  for  cough  mixtures.  Contains  extract  of 
glycyrrhiza,  acacia,  sugar,  wine  of  antimony  (6  per  cent.),  spirit  of 
nitrous  ether,  camphorated  tincture  of  opium  (12  per  cent.),  and 
water.    This  is  the  most  permanent  of  its  class.    The  dose  is  f  5i-f  5j. 

Mixtures  admit  of  a  limited  range  of  usefulness ;  like  most 
aqueous  preparations,  they  spoil  rapidly,  are  unpalatable,  unsightly, 
and  must  be  given  in  doses  so  bulky  that  they  are  very  apt  to 
nauseate  the  patient.  The  term  mixture  is  not  applied  to  a  clear 
solution. 


INFUSA— INFUSIONS. 

Infusions  are  liquid  preparations  made  by  extracting  vegetable 
substances  with  either  hot  or  cold  water,  without  boiling,  Pharma- 
ceutically  and  therapeutically  they  are  poor  preparations,  because 
they  undergo  early  decomposition,  are  never  clear  and  brilliant, 
and  finally,  though  water  has  a  wide  range  of  usefulness  as  a  solvent, 
it  furnishes  much  less  concentrated  preparations  than  does  alcohol. 
Infusions  are  prepared  by  pouring  hot  water  over  the  drug, 
macerating  in  a  tightly  closed  vessel  until  the  liquid  cools,  and 
straining. 

One  infusion,  the  infusion  of  wild  cherry,  is  made  by  percolat- 
ing the  drug  with  cold  water.  Only  four  infusions  are  official  and 
this  may  be  taken  as  an  index  of  their  popularity.  Formerly  they 
were  much  used  in  this  country;  to-day  they  are  rarely  prescribed. 


39 

tho:'gh  they  are  still  largely  employed  in  England  and  on  the 
Continent.  Water  is  a  poor  solvent  for  vegetable  principles  at  best, 
and  as  other  classes  of  preparations  offer  advantages  and  none  of 
the  disadvantages  of  infusions,  the  latter  have  been  almost  entirely 
replaced  by  alcoholic  preparations,  like  the  tinctures  and  fluid 
extracts.  It  must  not  be  forgotten,  in  this  connection,  that  hot 
water,  in  the  large  dose  of  the  old-fashioned  teas,  has  both  diapho- 
retic and  diuretic  properties,  and  probably  has  added  much  to  the 
reputation  attained  by  some  of  the  herbs  formerly  employed ;  also, 
that  infusions  (and  decoctions)  must,  of  necessity,  be  freshly 
prepared  and  are  not  of  doubtful  age  as  are  the  tinctures  and  fluid 
extracts. 

The  pharmacopoeia  directs  that  the  strength  of  infusions,  when 
not  otherwise  specified  by  the  pharmacopoeia  or  physician,  shall  be 
5  per  cent.  The  dose  of  infusions  ranges  from  f  5j  to  many  ounces, 
according  to  the  character  of  the  drug  employed.  Two  official 
infusions  are  often  prescribed  : 

Infusum  Digitalis  (Infusion  of  Digitalis  or  Fox  Glove),  repre- 
sents I  Yz  per  cent,  of  the  leaves  and  some  cinnamon  water  as  a  flavor. 
It  is  preferred  by  many  practitioners,  in  doses  of  f  5i-f  5iv,  to  the 
tincture  of  digitalis,  and  seems  to  possess  greater  diuretic  powers. 

Infusum  Pruni  Virginianae  (Infusion  of  Wild  Cherry),  is 
made  by  percolating  the  drug  with  cold  water.  Saturated  with 
sugar,  it  forms  the  well-known  syrup  of  wild  cherry. 


DECOCTA— DECOCTIONS. 

Decocta  (or  Decoctions),  are  made  by  boiling  vegetable  drugs 
with  water.  Like  infusions,  decoctions  are  now  rarely  used — both 
decompose  readily  and  altogether  have  only  one  factor  to  recom- 
mend them,  that  of  recent  preparation.  Decoctions  present  all  the 
disadvantages  common  to  infusions  in  accentuated  form,  as  heat  is 
employed  in  their  production,  with  loss  of  volatile  ingredients  and 
change  in  those  which  are  not  dissipated  at  higher  temperatures. 
Neither  of  the  official  decoctions  is  important  and  the  pharmacopoeia 
specifies  the  strength  of  non-official  preparations  of  this  class  to  be 
5  per  cent,  with  the  caution  that  the  percentage  of  the  drug  in 
decoctions  of  energetic  or  powerful  substances  be  specially  pre- 
scribed by  the  physician.     The  drug  is  to  be  boiled  for   fifteen 


40 

minutes,  expressed,  strained  and  sufficient  water  added,  through  the 
strainer,  to  produce  the  required  measure. 

The  dose  of  decoctions  is  from  f.^ss-fSj,  or  even  more. 


SYRUPI— SYRUPS. 

Syrups  are  solutions  of  medicinal  principles  in  water  containing 
sugar.  Thirty-two  are  official,  proving  that  they  still  are  a  favorite 
class,  though  used  to  a  less  extent  than  formerly.  They  may  be 
simple,  flavoring,  or  medicated,  their  sweet  taste  facilitating  admin- 
istration and  indicating  their  use  as  vehicles,  mild  adjuvants  or 
correctives  ;  a  few  contain  active  medicinal  ingredients.  They  are 
made  by  solution  with  heat,  by  agitation  without  heat,  by  the  simple 
addition  of  a  medicating  liquid  to  syrup.  The  first  method  is  used 
w^hen  the  drug  is  not  injured  by  heat,  and  its  active  principle  is  not 
volatile  ;  the  second  process  is  employed  when  heat  is  contra- 
indicated  and  the  third  method  is  resorted  to  when  the  medicating 
substance  is  liquid.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  most  important 
official  syrups : 

Syrupus  (Syrup,  or  Simple  Syrup). — Employed  merely  as  a 
vehicle  and  contains  about  two- thirds  of  its  weight  of  sugar. 

Syrupus  Ferri  Iodidi  (Syrup  of  Ferrous  Iodide). — Contains 
lo  per  cent,  of  ferrous  iodide.  Is  employed  as  an  efficient  altera- 
tive, especially  valuable  in  the  treatment  of  the  wasting  diseases  of 
children.     Dose,  tt^x  to  f5i. 

Syrupus  Rubi  Idaei  (Syrup  of  Raspberry). — Made  from  fer- 
mented raspberry  juice.  A  pleasant  basis  for  administering  bitter 
or  nauseating  remedies. 

Syrupus  Scillae  contains  acetic  acid,  as  it  is  made  from  the 
vinegar  of  squill.  A  stimulating  expectorant,  given  in  doses  of 
5  to  30  "I. 

The  above  syrups  are  made  by  solution  with  heat ;  the  follow- 
ing are  made  by  the  addition  of  the  medicating  liquid  to  the  syrup : 

Syrupus  Acidi  Citrici  (Syrup  of  Citric  Acid,  or  Syrup  of 
Lemon). — Made  by  flavoring  a  dilute  solution  of  citric  acid  in  syrup 
with  spirit  of  lemon.     A  pleasant  vehicle. 

Syrupus  Ipecacuanhae  contains  7  per  cent,  of  fluid  extract  of 
ipecac,  a  little  acetic  acid,  and  glycerin.  Used  as  a  relaxing  expec- 
torant in  the  second  stage  of  bronchitis.     Dose,  5  to  10  min. 


41 

Syrupus  Sarsaparillae  Compositus  (Compound  Syrup  of  Sar- 
saparilla). — Contains  the  fluid  extracts  ot  sarsaparilla,  glycyrrhiza 
and  senna,  flavored  with  the  oils  of  sassafras,  anise  and  gaultheria. 
Has  been  much  used  as  a  basis  in  anti-syphilitic  mixtures  for  the 
exhibition  of  mercury  and  potassium  iodide. 

Syrupus  Scillae  Compositus  (Compound  Syrup  of  Squill), 
is  commonly  known  as  hive  syrup,  or  Coxe's  hive  syrup.  Contains 
squill,  senega  and  two  parts  of  tartar  emetic  in  looo  parts,  and  is 
therefore  a  dangerous  compound  when  used  by  the  laity.  Dose, 
from  10  drops  to  foi-     A  depressing  expectorant. 

Syrupus  Senegae  (Syrup  of  Senega). — Much  used  to-day  as 
an  expectorant,  more  stimulating  than  ipecac  and  less  so  than 
terebene  or  creosote.     Dose,  m  v.  to  f  5i. 

Syrupus  Tolutanus  (Syrup  of  Tolu). — Represents  the  aro- 
matic properties  of  balsam  of  tolu  in  the  form  of  a  pleasant  vehicle. 

Syrupus  Zingiberis  (Syrup  of  Ginger). — A  favorite  correc- 
tive. 

Syrups  made  by  dissolving  sugar  in  the  medicating  liquid : 

Syrupus  Aurantii  (Syrup  of  Orange). — Like  syrup  of  lemon, 
is  used  as  a  vehicle,  but  unhke  the  latter,  is  made  from  the  tincture 
of  the  fresh  peel ;  a  very  agreeable  preparation. 

Syrupus  Hypophosphitum  (Syrup  of  Hypophosphites). — Con- 
tains the  corresponding  salts  of  calcium,  potassium  and  sodium, 
with  a  little  diluted  hypophosphorous  acid.  Given  in  doses  of  foi  or 
more,  in  wasting  diseases. 

Syrupus  Pruni  Virginianae  (Syrup  of  Wild  Cherry). — A  very 
popular  syrup,  made  by  dissolving  sugar  in  an  infusion  of  wild 
cherry.  Contains  a  trace  of  hydrocyanic  acid  and  of  oil  of  bitter 
almonds,  with  the  bitter  principle  and  some  tannic  acid  derived 
from  the  bark.  Though  not  actively  medicinal  in  itself,  it  is  proba- 
bly the  most  popular  basis  for  cough  mixtures  to-day  because  of 
its  very  agreeable  flavor. 

Mellita,  Honeys  and  Mucilagines  (Mucilages)  have  as  their 
basis  respectively,  honey  and  some  gummy  substance.  Formerly  more 
popular,  these  two  classes  have  fallen  into  disuse  to-day  because  of 
their  proneness  to  acid  decomposition ;  in  the  case  of  honey  the 
vinous  and  then  acetous  fermentation  is  apt  to  occur,  while  muci- 
lages undergo  the  lactic  acid  fermentation.  Honeys  afford  a 
convenient  method  of  administering  drugs  to  children,  though  they 


42 

are  no  more  agreeable  and  less  permanent  than  the  syrups.  There 
are  only  three  official  honeys  and  four  oflFicial  mucilages.  Mucilage 
of  acacia  is  the  most  important  member  of  this  class  ;  it  is  some- 
times employed  as  a  demulcent  in  the  intestinal  complaints  of  chil- 
dren, but  finds  a  wider  range  of  usefulness  in  the  emulsification  of 
oils. 


EMULSA— EMULSIONS. 

Emulsa  (Emulsions)  are  a(]ucous  preparations  intended  for 
internal  use,  which  contain  oil  or  resin  in  suspension.  This  is 
brought  about  by  the  aid  of  some  mucilaginous  or  other  adhesive 
substance.  Emulsions  are  white,  opaque  liquids,  which,  under  the 
microscope,  are  seen  to  consist  of  small  globules  of  oil,  each  sur- 
rounded by  a  fine  film  of  some  viscid  material,  which  prevents  the 
drops  from  running  together.  Milk  furnishes  an  example  of  a 
natural  emulsion,  in  which  the  butter  represents  the  fat  and  casein 
the  adhesive  material,  the  latter  enveloping  as  a  thin  membrane  the 
fatty  matter.  In  preparing  butter,  the  churning  breaks  up  the 
envelope  of  casein  and  the  globules  run  together  to  form  larger 
masses.  In  emulsification  the  aim  is  in  the  opposite  direction  ;  it  is 
to  dash  the  oil  into  fine  globules  and  then  to  prevent  these  globules 
from  uniting  by  covering  each  one  of  them  with  a  film  of  viscid 
material;  this  is  usually  a  gum  of  some  kind,  preferably  gum 
acacia. 

But  four  emulsions  are  officially  recognized,  and  none  of  these 
are  used  to  any  extent.  Emulsions  are,  however,  frequently  pre- 
scribed as  extemporaneous  preparations,  and  though  they  do  not 
keep  well  as  a  class,  at  least  one  emulsion,  that  of  cod  liver  oil,  is 
made  in  large  quantities  by  the  manufacturer.  It  can  often  be 
tolerated  when  the  pure  cod  liver  oil  is  nauseating,  and  will  keep 
fairly  well  if  kept  in  full  bottles,  well  corked,  in  a  cool  place.  The 
object  in  exhibiting  an  oil  in  the  form  of  an  emulsion  is  usually  to 
make  it  more  palatable  and  less  nauseating,  though  in  some  in- 
stances crude  oils  are  better  borne  than  their  emulsions.  It  must 
be  remembered,  that  emulsions  are  not  made  to  contain  more  than 
50  percent,  of  the  oil,  and  in  many  instances,  do  not  represent  more 
than  25  per  cent,  because  the  resulting  preparation  becomes  too 
thick  for  convenient  administration. 


(6) 


^ 


43 

At  least  three  methods  can  be  employed  to  emulsify  an  oil ;  in 
all  of  them  a  nucleus  of  oil,  gum  and  water,  in  certain  proportions, 
is  formed,  which  can  then  be  diluted  at  will.  In  the  first  method  a 
mucilage,  of  the  consistence  of  the  oil,  is  first  made,  and  the  oil 
added,  drop  by  drop,  with  thorough  trituration.  Occasionally, 
when  the  mass  becomes  too  thick  to  be  worked  properly,  small 
portions  of  water  are  added,  and  the  additions  of  water  and  oil 
made  alternately  until  the  whole  assumes  the  appearance  of  rich 
cream.  This  nucleus,  when  properly  made,  should  crack  under 
the  pestle  and  can  be  diluted,  without  separation,  to  the  required 
percentage.  The  proportions  of  oil  and  acacia  used,  are  four  of  the 
former  and  one  of  the  latter,  with  enough  water  to  make  the 
mucilage  as  dense  as  the  oil.  The  acacia  should  be  granulated 
and  not  powdered.  A  simple  way  of  forming  the  nucleus  is  to 
take  four  parts  of  oil,  one  part  of  acacia,  and  two  parts  of  water, 
mix  the  finely  powdered  acacia  intimately  with  the  oil,  and  add  the 
two  parts  of  water,  all  at  once,  constantly  stirring.  In  the  third  pro- 
cess the  ingredients  may  be  mixed  at  once  in  a  mortar,  provided  that 
the  following  ratio  is  observed : 

Oil,  4  parts  ;  gum,  2  parts  ;  water,  3  parts. 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  the  first  method  no  statement  is 
made  concerning  the  amount  of  water  used  in  the  nucleus  (this 
depending  on  the  judgment  of  the  operator),  but  that  it  presents 
the  smallest  amount  of  acacia,  the  largest  appearing  in  the  third 
formula.  As  the  gum  especially  endangers  the  permanency  of  the 
preparation,  the  manufacturer  adds  as  little  acacia  as  possible,  and 
prefers  the  first  method.  The  other  two  formulae  never  fail  to 
produce  a  good  emulsion,  and  are  frequently  selected  when  these 
compounds  are  ordered  extemporaneously.  As  gum  is  soluble  in 
water  and  not  in  alcohol,  emulsions  do  not  mix  with  tinctures  or 
other  alcoholic  preparations,  except  to  a  very  limited  degree. 
i  Volatile  oils  may  be  emulsified  by  mixing  them  with  an 
equal  bulk'of  some  bland  fixed  oil,  and  then  treating  them  precisely 
like  a  fixed  oil. 

Some  gum  resins  furnish  emulsions  by  mere  trituration  with 
water,  as  they  contain  sufficient  gum  to  hold  the  resin  in  suspension. 
The  official  emulsion  of  asafetida  will  serve  as  an  example.  Occa- 
sionally substances  other  than  oils  and  resins  are  emulsified  : 
chloroform  can  be  made  to  combine  with  water  through  the  agency 
of  gum  tragacanth  to  form  emulsum  chloroformi. 


44 
GLYCERITA— CiLYCERITES. 

Glycerita  (or  Glycerites)  are  preparations  containing  medi- 
cinal substances  dissolved  in  glycerin.  Six  are  official  and  four  of 
these  are  used  extensively  : 

Glvceritum  Acidi  Carbolici  (Glycerite  of  Carbolic  Acid). — 
This  is  a  20  per  cent,  solution  in  glycerin  and  illustrates  the  ready 
solubility  of  the  phenol  in  this  menstruum.  Pure  carbolic  acid  is 
soluble  in  15  parts  of  water,  but  this  concentration  is  not  always 
readily  attained,  so  that  samples  of  a  1:20  (or  5  per  cent.)  aqueous 
solution  frequently  show  globules  of  undissolved  acid,  which  impart 
irritating  if  not  corrosive  properties  to  the  mixture.  Previous 
dilution  with  glycerin  renders  the  acid  perfectly  soluble. 

Glyceritum  Acidi  Tannici  (Glycerite  of  Tannic  Acid). — 
Synonym  glycerole  of  tannin.  A  deep  green  solution,  affording  a 
ready  means  of  applying  this  popular  vegetable  astringent  in  con- 
centrated form  and  combining  with  this  the  depleting  properties  of 
the  glycerin.     Much  used  as  a  local  application  to  mucous  surfaces. 

Glyceritum  Boroglycerini  (Glycerite  of  Boroglycerin). — A 
saturated  solution  of  boric  acid  in  glycerin,  uniting  the  antiseptic 
powers  of  both  agents.  Useful  where  a  mild,  unirritating  antiseptic 
is  desired ;  it  is  always  diluted  with  water  before  use. 

Glyceritum  Hydrastis  (Glycerite  of  Hydrastis)  represents  the 
medicinal  virtues  of  the  drug.     Dose,  f  5j-f  5ij- 


ELIXIRIA— ELIXIRS. 

Elixiria  (or  Elixirs)  to-day  are  preparations  of  pleasant 
flavor  for  the  exhibition  of  medicinal  substances  in  dilute  form. 
Formerly  they  were  often  therapeutically  active  preparations,  but  at 
present  they  are  made  aromatic  and  so  palatable  that  the  percent- 
age of  alcohol  contained  in  each  dose  becomes  a  therapeutic  factor. 
Therefore  only  two  elixirs  were  made  official,  aromatic  elixir  and 
elixir  of  phosphorus ;  the  former  intended  as  a  vehicle,  the  second 
as  a  means  of  giving  phosphorus  (f  5j  contains  -g^^-  grain). 

Of  the  unofficial  elixirs,  perhaps  the  most  popular  are  the  elixir 
of  ammonium  valerianate  and  the  elixir  of  iron,  quinine  and  strych- 
nine.    The  dose  of  elixirs  is  usually  f5i. 


45 

SPIRITUS— SPIRITS. 

Spiritus  (Spirits). — A  spirit  is  an  alcoholic  solution  of  a  vola- 
tile principle.  Twenty-five  are  official  and  most  of  them  are 
prepared  by  simple  solution  ;  one,  the  spirit  of  nitrous  ether,  is  made 
by  chemical  reaction,  three  are  made  by  maceration,  and  two  by 
distillation.  Fourteen  are  solutions  of  volatile  oils  in  alcohol. 
With  the  exception  of  spirit  of  glonoin  (min.  j  )  and  spirit  of 
phosphorus  (used  to  make  the  elixir  of  phosphorus),  the  average 
dose  of  official  spirits  may  be  stated  at  f  5ss,  diluted  with  water. 

The  most  important  spirits  of  the  pharmacopoeia  are  : 

Spiritus  Aetheris  Compositus  (Compound  Spirit  of  Ether, 
or  Hoffmann's  Anodyne). — A  quickly  acting  anodyne  and  carmina- 
tive in  gastric  and  intestinal  colic.  Contains  alcohol,  ether,  and 
ethereal  oil.  Dose,  f5ss-f5i.  Best  taken  on  sugar,  or  with  ice 
water. 

Spiritus  Ammoniae  Aromaticus  (Aromatic  Spirit  of  Ammonia). 
— Contains  ammonium  carbonate  beside  NH3,  flavored  with  aromatic 
oils.  A  quickly  acting  cardiac  and  gastric  stimulant  in  doses  of 
f5ss-f5j,  diluted  with  water. 

Spiritus  Aetheris  Nitrosi  (Spirit  of  Nitrous  Ether,  or  Sweet 
Spirit  of  Nitre). — A  weak  solution  of  ethyl  nitrite,  which  represents, 
to  a  certain  degree,  the  effect  of  the  nitrites  on  the  circulation,  in 
addition  to  being  diaphoretic  and  diuretic.     Dose,  f5ss-f5ij. 

Spiritus  Camphorae  (Spirit  of  Camphor). — Ten  per  cent,  ot 
camphor  dissolved  in  alcohol.  Rarely  used  internally,  much 
employed  externally  as  a  liniment. 

Spiritus  Chloroformi  (Spirit  of  Chloroform). — A  safe  sedative 
in  nausea  or  bronchial  irritation  in  doses  of  min.  v-f  5ss.  Contains 
6  per  cent,  of  chloroform. 

Spiritus  Glonoini  (Spirit  of  Glonoin,  or  Nitroglycerin). — A 
I  per  cent,  solution  of  trinitroglycerin.  A  valuable  cardiac  stimulant 
and  vaso-motor  dilator.     Dose,  min,  j. 

Spiritus  Limonis  and  Spiritus  Menthae  Piperitae  (are 
popularly  known  as  Essence  of  Lemon  and  Essence  of  Peppermint). 
— Much  used  as  a  flavor  and  carminative.  Both  are  alcoholic  solu- 
tions of  the  volatile  oils. 

Spiritus  Frumenti  (Whiskey)  and  Spiritus  Vini  Gallici 
(Brandy)  are  chiefly  interesting  because  they  are  prepared  by 
distillation.     Pharmaceutically,  diluted  alcohol  is  preferred. 


46    ^^ 

TINCTURAE— TINCTURES. 

TiNCTURAE  (or  Tinctures)  may  be  defined  as  alcoholic  solutions 
of  non-volatile  substances.  Seventy-two  tinctures  are  official  and 
all  but  three  are  made  from  vegetable  substances;  tincture  of  iodine 
and  tincture  of  ferric  chloride  are  prepared  from  inorganic  drugs, 
the  first  by  dissolving  iodine  in  alcohol,  the  second  by  diluting  the 
solution  of  chloride  of  iron  with  the  same  menstruum. 

One  official  tincture  is  made  from  an  animal  drug — the  tincture 
of  musk. 

Tinctures  are  prepared  by  maceration,  percolation,  solution  and 
dilution.  Percolation  is  preferred  wherever  it  is  possible  to  extract 
the  soluble  principles  of  a  drug  by  displacement;  maceration 
becomes  necessary  when  the  physical  character  of  the  drug  does 
not  permit  employment  of  this  process.  Tincture  of  benzoin  and 
tincture  of  asafetida  are  instances  where  the  resins  are  so  soluble  in 
alcohol  that  it  is  impossible  to  moisten  and  pack  them  in  a  percolator 
to  be  extracted  in  the  usual  manner,  the  pow^der  becoming  a  pasty 
mass  which  prevents  any  liquid  from  passing.  Such  substances 
must  be  introduced  into  a  convenient  receptacle  and  macerated  with 
the  liquid  for  some  days,  at  the  end  of  this  time  requiring  filtration. 
In  all  instances  the  amount  of  alcohol  introduced  into  the  men- 
struum is  made  as  small  as  is  compatible  with  permanency  and 
proper  medicinal  action. 


EXTRACTA  FLUI DA— FLUID  EXTRACTS. 

Fluid  Extracts  (or  Extracta  Fluida)  are  concentrated 
tinctures,  though  they  differ  from  the  latter  in  their  mode  of  manu- 
facture. They  are  always  of  definite  strength,  one  minim  repre- 
senting one  grain  of  the  crude  drug,  or  one  c.c.  equaling  a  gramme. 
Therefore  they  are  lOO  per  cent,  in  strength,  practically  the  liquid 
equivalents  of  the  solid  drug,  and  represent  all  its  active  constituents, 
with  this  convenient  relation  of  volume  for  weight.  Because  of  the 
greater  concentration  of  fluid  extracts,  it  becomes  necessary  to 
adopt  additional  measures  to  fully  extract  the  drug,  so  that  previous 
to  percolation,  maceration  is  always  resorted  to.  The  liquid  is  then 
allowed  to  pass  slowly  through  the  powder,  and  the  first  -^  to  -^^ 
of  the  percolate  reserved  and  set  aside.  Then  the  powder  is  perco- 
lated to  exhaustion  ;     this  last  weak  percolate,    irrespective  of  its 


47 

quantity,  is  now  evaporated  to  a  soft  extract,  the  process  taking  place 
in  a  still,  with  a  worm  or  other  condenser  attached,  to  recover  the 
alcohol.  Finally  the  soft  extract  is  dissolved  in  the  reserved  por- 
tion and  a  sufficient  quantity  of  menstruum  added  to  produce  a 
volume  equal  in  bulk  to  the  quantity  by  weight  of  the  drug 
employed.  At  first  sight  the  uniform  relation  of  dose,  the  small 
bulk  of  the  latter,  and  the  pharmaceutical  perfection  of  the  finished 
product,  would  seem  to  justify  the  exclusive  use  of  the  large  num- 
ber of  fluid  extracts  official  in  our  pharmacopoeia,  the  largest 
number  of  any  one  class. 

Unfortunately,  heat  must  be  employed  in  the  official  process. 
The  apparatus  for  the  recovery  of  alcohol  is  expensive  and  the 
whole  method  is  adapted  only  for  use  on  the  large  scale,  so  that  it  be- 
comes necessary  to  draw  wholly  on  the  manufacturer  for  the 
supply.  As  a  consequence,  an  indefinite  period  of  time  has  elapsed 
before  the  fluid  extract  reaches  the  consumer.  Theoretically,  fluid 
extracts  seem  to  be  ideal  preparations :  practically,  tinctures  are 
preferred  by  most  practitioners.  Comparing  the  two  classes,  it  is 
necessary  to  consider  the  following  facts  : 

1.  All   vegetable  principles    in    solution    tend  to    undergo   a 

change  in  time. 

2.  Heat  injures  all  vegetable  principles  in  direct  proportion  to 

the  temperature  employed  and  the  length  of  exposure, 
especially  if  they  are  in  solution,  or  in  contact  with  a 
menstruum.  It  dissipates  all  principles  which  are  vola- 
tile. 

3.  All  precipitates  occurring  in  liquid  preparations  of  vegetable 

substances,  though  largely  composed  of  inert  material, 

show  a  well-marked  tendency  to  carry  down  at  least  a 

portion  of  the  active  ingredient ;  the  chemical  nature  of 

the    latter   is  changed  by  this  precipitation,  so  that  the 

preparation  is  weakened,  even  though  it  is  dispensed  in  an 

unfiltered  condition. 

The  advantages  of  fluid  extracts  over  tinctures  are  supposed 

to  be  their  concentration,   so  that  a  reduction  in  the  amount  of 

alcohol  and  the  volume  of  the  dose  is  obtained,  and  in  a  uniform  and 

convenient  relation  of  volume  for  weight.     From  the  standpoint  ot 

the  prescriber,  these  supposed  advantages  have  not  been  realized ; 

tinctures  have  been  found  to   represent  the  medicinal  activity  of 


48 

drugs  with  <];reater  certainty.  The  reasons  for  this  are  probably  the 
following  :  Tinctures  vary  in  strength  from  5  to  50  per  cent,  (usually 
10,  1  5  or  20  per  cent.),  and  the  larger  amount  of  menstruum  they  con- 
tain makes  it  more  likely  that  all  of  the  active  principle  is  extracted 
from  the  drug;  they  are  prepared  entirely  by  a  cold  process,  are 
less  apt  to  precipitate  because  they  contain  less  of  the  drug,  are 
more  recently  prepared  and  almost  without  exception  are  suffi- 
ciently concentrated  to  be  given  in  doses  so  small  that  the  thera- 
peutic effect  of  alcohol  does  not  manifest  itself.  All  this  is 
supported  by  abundant  clinical  evidence.  It  is  a  noticeable  feature 
in  connection  with  the  use  of  fluid  extracts  that  the  dose  in  minims 
always  exceeds  slightly  that  of  the  crude  drug  in  grains,  and  not, 
as  theoretically  aimed  at,  minim  for  grain.  Whether  this  is  due  to 
insufficient  extraction,  the  employment  of  heat  in  the  process  of 
manufacture,  to  the  uncertain  age  of  the  preparation,  or  to  a  com- 
bination of  these  factors,  is  not  readily  ascertained  ;  at  any  rate, 
tinctures  prepared  by  diluting  fluid  extracts  have  not  the  same 
medicinal  value  as  tinctures  prepared  from  the  drug.  Tincture  oi 
digitalis  is  certainly  a  superior  preparation  to  the  fluid  extract, 
though  both  are  made  with  the  same  menstruum  of  diluted  alcohol. 
The  average  dose  of  fluid  extracts  may  be  stated  as  10  min.;  that 
of  the  poisonous  fluid  extracts  as  i  m.  The  average  dose  of  the 
tinctures  is  f5i  and  10  min.  for  the  poisonous  tinctures,  except  the 
tinctures  of  aconite  and  veratrum  viride,  the  dose  of  which  is  i  to  3 
min.  As  tinctures  and  fluid  extracts  are  used  only  where  the 
respective  drugs  are  indicated,  only  a  few  important  compound 
tinctures  will  be  considered  separately. 

TiNCTURA  Cardamomi  Composita  (Compound  Tincture  of 
Cardamom)  contains  cardamom,  cinnamon,  caraway  and  cochineal. 
A  very  pleasant,  attractive  preparation,  colored  bright  red  from  the 
cochineal.  Frequently  prescribed  as  an  aromatic  addition  to  pre- 
parations, or  used  as  a  placebo. 

TiNCTURA  Catechu  Composita  (Compound  Tincture  of  Cate- 
chu) is  flavored  with  cinnamon  ;  diluted  with  water  it  was  formerly 
much  used  as  an  injection  in  gonorrhoea. 

TiNCTURA  CiNCHONAE  CoMPOSiTA  (Compound  Tincture  ot 
Cinchona.  Huxham's  Tincture). — A  popular  tonic,  combining  the 
virtues  of  cinchona  bark  with  bitter  orange  peel  and  serpentaria. 
Dose,  f  5'-iv. 


»l 


49 

TiNCTURA  Benzoini  Composita  (Compound  Tincture  of  Ben- 
zoin) has  been  used  for  many  years  as  Turlington's  Balsam,  Friar's 
Balsam,  or  Balsam  de  Malta,  for  its  stimulating  expectorant  effect. 
Contains  aloes,  storax,  balsam  of  tolu  and  benzoin.  Is  prescribed 
internally  or  in  the  form  of  an  inhalation,  dropped  on  hot  water. 

TiNCTURA  Gentianae  Composita  (Compound  Tincture  of  Gen- 
tian) contains  gentian,  bitter  orange  peel  and  cardamom,  and  closely 
resembles  Stoughton  Bitters.  It  is  used  as  a  simple  tonic  in  doses 
of  f  5i-iv,  though  in  the  latter  dose  there  is  some  danger  of  acquir- 
ing the  alcoholic  habit. 


VINA— WINES.  ^Ur- 

ViNA  (or  Wines)  may  be  defined  pharmaceutically  as  prepara- 
tions made  with  a  menstruum  of  wine.  Two  of  them  are  non- 
medicated,  Vinum  Album  and  Vinum  Rubrum.  These  contain  from 
10  to  14  per  cent,  of  alcohol.  Although  additional  alcohol  is  added 
for  the  extraction  of  drugs,  wine  is  not  as  good  a  menstruum  as 
diluted  alcohol  would  be.  Of  official  wines  the  following  are  still 
used  to-day : 

Vinum  Antimonii  (Wine  of  Antimony)  contains  ^  per  cent, 
of  tartar  emetic,  and  is  used  both  as  a  sedative  expectorant  and  as 
an  emetic.     Dose,  10  to  30  min.,  in  larger  doses  emetic. 

Vinum  Colchici  Radicis  (Wine  of  Colchicum  Root)  has  been 
a  favorite  means  of  administering  this  drug  to  gouty  patients.  Dose, 
10  min.  to  30  min. 

Vinum  Ferri  Amarum  (Bitter  Wine  of  Iron)  contains  the 
soluble  citrate  of  iron  and  quinine  flavored  with  tincture  of  sweet 
orange  peel  and  sweetened  with  syrup.  A  mild  ferruginous  tonic. 
Dose,  f  5ii-iv. 


ACETA— VINEGARS.  ^ 

Aceta  (or  Vinegars)  are  medicated  vinegars.  Diluted  acetic 
acid  is  used  as  the  menstruum,  and  although  it  possesses  some 
antiseptic  properties  it  does  not  furnish  a  good  basis  for  prepara- 
tions; for  this  reason  vinegars  have  fallen  into  disuse  and  as  a  class 
are  unimportant.     But  two  are  official. 


50 
OLEORESINAE— OLEORESINS.     '^""^'^ 

Oleoresinae  (or  Oleorcsins)  arc  the  only  class  of  preparations 
made  with  ether.  Oils  and  many  resins  are  soluble  in  ether,  so 
that  this  liquid  furnishes  a  convenient  menstruum  for  the  extraction 
of  a  few  drugs,  which  owe  all  their  activity  to  these  two  classes  of 
principles.  Six  oleoresins  are  official  and  in  each  case  they  represent 
the  strongest  preparations  of  the  drugs  they  are  made  from.  They 
are  prepared  by  exhausting  the  drug  with  ether,  and  distilling  ofl 
the  latter  until  a  thick  liquid  remains. 

Oleokesina  AsriDii  (Oleoresin  of  Aspidium,  or  Male  Fern),  is 
the  preparation  always  selected  to  exhibit  the  taenifuge  properties  of 
this  important  drug.  The  dose  is  from  f  5ss  to  f  5i,  usually  given  in 
emulsion. 

Oleoresina  Cubebae  (Oleoresin  of  Cubebs)  is  selected  when 
this  drug  is  given  in  conjunction  with  copaiba  in  the  treatment  of 
gonorrhoea.     Best  administered  in  the  form  of  capsules. 

There  are  three  classes  of  liquid  preparations  for  external  use  ; 
the  liniments,  oleates  and  the  collodions. 


LINIMENTA— LINIMENTS.     A-Mr- 

Linimenta  (or  Liniments)  ate  liquid  preparations  intended  for 
external  use,  containing  as  a  basis  oil  or  alcohol.  They  are 
applied  to  the  skin  for  their  counter-irritant  effect,  and  usually 
are  mixed  extemporaneously  at  the  order  of  the  physician. 
The  pharmacopoeia  recognizes  nine  (9).  Four  of  these  are  often 
prescribed  : 

LiNiMENTUM  Calcis  (Lime  Liniment,  or  Carron  Oil),  is  a  mix- 
ture of  equal  volumes  of  solution  of  lime  (lime-water)  and  raw 
linseed  oil.     Extensively  used  as  a  dressing  for  burns. 

LiNiMENTUM  Camphorae  (Camphor  Liniment,  frequently  called 
Camphorated  Oil),  is  a  20  per  cent,  solution  of  camphor  in  cottonseed 
oil.  Usually  employed  externally  ;  more  rarely  hypodermatically 
for  its  cardiac  stimulant  effect. 

LiNiMENTUM  Chlorofokmi  (Chloroform  Liniment)  contains  30 
per  cent,  of  chloroform,  witii  70  per  cent,  of  soap  liniment. 


(7) 


!i 


51 

LiNiMENTUM  SAPONis(Soap  Liniment)  is  perhaps  the  most  popu- 
lar liniment  in  use,  and  contains  soap,  camphor,  oil  of  rosemary, 
alcohol  and  water. 

LiNiMENTUM  Saponis  Mollis  (Liniment  of  Soft  Soap,  or  Tinc- 
ture of  Green  Soap),  is  used  by  the  surgeons  in  preference  to  ordi- 
nary hard  soap  for  its  more  rapid  detergent  effect  It  is  a  solution 
of  potassa  (soft)  soap  in  alcohol,  scented  with  oil  of  lavender. 


fc 


-^  OLEATA— OLEATES 


3 


Oleata  (or  Oleates)  are  solutions  of  medicinal  substances  in 
oleic  acid.  Three  are  official,  one  of  which,  the  oleate  of  mercury, 
is  occasionally  used  to  obtain  the  constitutional  effect  of  the  drug. 
It  is  a  20  per  cent,  solution  of  yellow  mercuric  oxide  in  oleic  acid. 
Oleic  acid  was  at  one  time  supposed  to  be  more  rapidly  absorbed 
by  the  skin  than  any  other  base.  Like  many  oily  preparations 
oleates  become  rancid. 


^  COLLODIA— COLLODIONS.    Y 

CoLLODiA  (or  Collodions)  are  solutions  of  gun-cotton  in  a  mix- 
ture of  ether  and  alcohol,  and  are  intended  for  external  use.  Sim- 
ple collodion  makes  a  good  dressing  for  small  wounds,  the  ether 
and  alcohol  evaporating  and  leaving  a  thin,  contracting  film  of  gun- 
cotton,  which  adheres  tightly  to  a  dry  surface.  Collodium  Flexile 
is  made  flexible  by  the  addition  of  Canada  turpentine  and  castor  oil. 


EXTRACTA— EXTRACTS. 

ExTRACTA  (or  Extracts)  are  solid  preparations  prepared  by  evap- 
orating solutions  of  vegetable  principles  nearly  to  dryness.  Thirty- 
three  are  official,  so  that  they  rank  next  in  importance  to  tinctures 
and  fluid  extracts.  In  most  cases  the  menstruum  is  alcohol ;  the 
remainder  are  prepared  with  water,  and  in  one  case  water  of  ammo- 
nia, in  another  acetic  acid  is  added  to  the  latter.     One  extract  is  an 


52 

inspissated  juice.  In  all  cases  the  menstruum  dissolves  inert  sub- 
stances with  the  active  principle,  the  former  constituting  the  bulk 
of  the  dry  extract.  This  class  forms  always  the  strongest  pharma- 
ceutical preparation  of  any  drug,  the  dose  being  smaller  than  that 
of  the  tinctures,  fluid  extracts,  etc.,  and  necessarily  always  smaller 
than  that  of  the  drug  itself 

Theoretically,  they  ought  to  form  the  most  valuable  prepara- 
tions on  our  official  list,  as  they  are  concentrated,  permanent,  easily 
administered  (in  pill  form)  and  readily  prepared.  In  practice  they 
have  been  found  to  vary  exceedingly  in  therapeutic  strength.  The 
reasons  for  this  are  apparent :  granting  that  the  percentage  of  active 
principle  contained  in  a  drug  does  not  vary  to  a  considerable 
degree,  the  amount  of  inactive  matter  taken  up  by  the  menstruum 
and  collectively  known  by  the  term  of  extractive,  certainly  does  and 
to  an  indefinite  extent.  Two  samples  of  the  same  drug  may 
assay  the  same  amount  of  active  constituent,  and  yet  yield  totally 
different  amounts  of  extracts  when  their  infusions  or  tinctures  are 
evaporated.  Again,  an  aqueous  menstruum  will  dissolve  a  larger 
proportion  of  extractive  and  yield  a  larger  quantity  of  extract  than 
an  alcoholic  one,  simply  because  water  is  a  better  solvent  for  the 
inert  matter  contained  in  plants  than  is  alcohol,  the  aqueous  extract 
being  bulky  and  relatively  weak,  the  alcoholic  one  concentrated 
and  medicinally  more  active.  This  refers  to  extracts  made  from 
the  same  drug.  Moreover,  though  extracts  are  supposed  to  be  solid 
preparations,  they  commonly  retain  a  certain  proportion  of  moist- 
ure ;  the  amount  of  the  latter  is  also  bound  to  vary  within  certain 
limits,  as  the  pharmacopoeia  merely  specifies  to  evaporate  to  a 
pilular  consistence.  It  is  evident  that  the  manufacturer  may  vary 
the  quality  of  an  extract  considerably  by  selecting  a  menstruum 
more  productive  of  quantity  than  of  quality,  so  that  the  only  reliable 
guide  to  the  value  of  any  individual  specimen  lies  in  the  therapeutic 
test.  Finally,  the  prolonged  application  of  heat  injures  the  activity 
of  all  vegetable  preparations,  and  extracts  cannot  be  made  without 
evaporation  at  an  elevated  temperature. 

The  advantages  of  extracts  are  their  small  bulk  and  small 
dose  ;  their  permanence  and  convenient  form  for  administration  in 
pill  masses,  so  that  extracts  are  still  very  popular  in  spite  of  their 
uncertain  strength.  The  dose  of  extracts  may  be  stated  as  gr.  i ; 
that  of  the  poisonous  solid  extracts  as  gr.  ^. 


53 

RESINAE— RESINS. 

Resinae  (or  Resins)  are  solid  preparations  made  from  drugs 
which  owe  their  activity  to  resinous  principles.  Rosin,  the  resin 
obtained  from  turpentine,  may  be  taken  as  the  type — they  are  all 
soluble  in  alcohol  and  insoluble  in  water,  therefore  precipitate  when 
resinous  tinctures  are  added  to  water.  Five  resins  are  "official — of 
these  the  resins  of  jalap,  podophyllum  and  scammonium  represent 
the  full  medicinal  activity  of  the  respective  drugs  and  therefore  are 
given  in  small  dose; 


TRITURATIONES— TRITURATIONS. 

Triturationes  (or  Triturations). — These  are  made  by  incorpo- 
rating ten  parts  of  medicinal  substance  with  ninety  parts  of  pow- 
dered sugar  of  milk.  Only  one  trituration  is  official — Trituration 
of  Elaterin.  Dose,  gr.  ^  as  a  hydragogue  cathartic.  Triturations 
have  lately  been  put  up  in  tablet  form  by  the  manufacturer  and 
are  then  known  as  tablet  triturates. 


PiLULAE  (or  Pills)  are  globular,  ovoid  or  lenticular  bodies  of 
such  size  that  they  can  be  readily  swallowed.  They  are  preferably 
made  extemporaneously,  so  that  only  fifteen  formulae  are  made 
official.  Pills  are  the  most  popular  of  all  solid  preparations,  as  they 
afford  a  ready  means  of  giving  substances  unpleasant  to  the 
taste.  Naturally,  only  those  substances  are  suitable  for  administra- 
tion in  pill  form  which  neither  attract  nor  lose  moisture  in  air,  are 
not  corrosive,  not  volatile,  or  given  in  doses  exceeding  three  grains 
for  vegetable  drugs  and  five  grains  for  mineral  substances.  Most 
drugs  of  vegetable  origin  exceed  the  limit  of  three  grains  and  make 
a  pill  too  bulky  to  swallow  ;  for  this  reason  their  solid  extracts  are 
used,  particularly  because  these  preparations  are  pharmaceutically 
well  adapted  to  be  formed  into  pill  masses. 


54 

In  order  to  combine  substances  so  that  they  can  be  shaped  into 
pills  they  must  be  physically  so  constituted  that  they  form  a  mass 
which  is  adhesive,  plastic,  and  has  a  certain  degree  of  firmness ; — 
adhesive,  so  as  to  unite  the  ingredients  ;  plastic,  that  the  mass  may  be 
worked  readily  ;  and  firm,  so  that  the  finished  pills  retain  their  shape. 
Few  substances  possess  all  these  requirements.  If  a  combination  of 
several  medicinal  substances  does  not  supply  the  desired  qualities, 
an  excipicnt  must  be  added  to  produce  a  mass.  This  excipient  may 
be  either  Hquid  or  solid,  should  be  inert  medicinally  and  furnish  the 
lacking  qualities  with  as  little  increase  in  the  size  of  the  individual 
pill  as  possible.  It  may  be  defined  as  the  substance  added  to  a  pill 
mass  to  bind  the  ingredients  together.  Water,  alcohol,  mucilage 
of  acacia,  glycerin  and  glucose  may  be  mentioned  among  the 
liquids,  while  acacia,  confection  of  rose,  crumb  of  bread  and  soap 
are  used  as  solid  excipients.  The  advantages  in  the  use  of  a  liquid 
excipient  are  that  the  resulting  pills  remain  small,  while  solid 
excipients  are  preferred  where  it  is  desirable  to  increase  the  bulk  of 
the  pill,  as  in  those  cases  where  a  powerful  alkaloid  is  subdivided 
into  doses  so  minute  that  it  would  be  inconvenient  to  dispense  them 
without  such  addition. 

In  the  making  of  a  pill  mass  the  ingredients  are  thoroughly 
mixed  in  a  mortar,  those  substances  which  are  not  already  in  a  fine 
state  of  subdivision  having  been  previously  ground  to  a  very  fine 
powder.  The  excipient,  if  it  be  a  liquid,  is  now  added,  drop  by 
drop,  and  the  mass  thoroughly  kneaded  with  the  pestle  until  it 
assumes  the  proper  plasticity,  the  latter  depending  in  great  meas- 
ure on  the  care  exercised  at  this  particular  stage.  The  mass  is 
then  transferred  to  a  pill  tile  and  rolled  into  a  cylinder  of  unifofm 
thickness  and  convenient  length.  This  cylinder  is  divided  into  the 
required  number  of  parts  and  each  segment  made  perfectly  round 
by  rolling  it  between  the  thumb  and  first  two  fingers. — Many 
pharmacists  prefer  to  use  the  pill  machine ;  this  is  essentially  a 
contrivance  for  cutting  the  cylinder  and  giving  the  finished  pill  at 
once  the  rounded  form. 

After  finishing  the  pills  they  are  usually  dusted  with  some 
suitable  powder  to  prevent  them  from  sticking  together  in  the  box, 
powdered  licorice  root,  althaea,  lycopodium  or  powdered  sugar 
being  usually  preferred  for  this  purpose.  The  selection  of  the 
dusting  powder  and  of  the  excipient  is  in  nearly  all  cases  left  to  the 


55 

pharmacist,  as  the  proper  choice  depends  upon  the  mass,  though  a 
few  general  rules  are  applicable  to  all  cases — the  excipient  should 
be  of  such  a  nature  that  the  pill  does  not  become  hard  and  insoluble 
in  a  reasonable  length  of  time. 

Many  medicinal  substances  are  to-day  compressed  by  suitable 
machines  into  little  discs  of  lenticular  shape,  known  as  compressed 
pills  or  compressed  tablets,  while  the  ordinary  round  pills  are  also 
prepared  by  the  manufacturer  on  the  large  scale ;  the  latter  are 
commonly  coated  with  gelatin  or  sugar,  more  rarely  with  gold  or 
silver  leaf  It  is  evident  that  saving  of  time  and  labor  is  thus 
obtained  with  a  great  reduction  in  the  price  of  the  finished  product; 
furthermore,  that  much  more  accurate  subdivision  must  be  the  rule 
with  the  manufacturer  in  the  case  of  those  substances  of  which  each 
pill  contains  only  a  minute  dose,  than  it  is  possible  with  the  retail 
pharmacist,  working  with  the  ordinary  facilities  of  the  prescription 
counter.  But  the  disadvantages  of  machine-made  products  are  as 
apparent  in  the  case  of  pills  as  they  are  with  most  manufactured 
preparations,  and  it  wiU  be  seen  that  the  ready-made  pill  must,  as  a 
rule,  be  inferior  to  the  one  prepared  extemporaneously.  Firm  com- 
pression by  machines  makes  some  powders  almost  insoluble,  and 
the  ordinary  pill,  made  with  liquid  excipients,  not  uncommonly 
becomes  so  hard  with  age  that  it  will  pass  through  the  entire  diges- 
tive tract  without  dissolving.  It  is  true  that  questionable  solubility 
is  a  fault  common  to  either  preparation,  but  freshly  prepared  pills 
ought  to  be  preferred  to  manufactured  products,  except  in  the  case 
of  those  powerful  substances  which  are  given  in  doses  so  small  that 
the  ordinary  prescription  balance  will  not  weigh  them.  The  latter 
are  best  dispensed  in  the  form  of  the  hypodermatic  tablets,  prepared 
by  the  manufacturer,  as  these  must  of  necessity  be  soluble  and  are 
usually  very  reliable. 

Extracts  are  typically  suited  for  pill  masses,  and  are  almost 
exclusively  given  in  this  way.  As  they  are  made  with  a  menstruum 
of  alcohol  or  water,  it  is  best  to  rub  them  up  with  a  small  quantity 
of  the  liquid  used  in  their  preparation  before  incorporating  the  rest 
of  the  ingredients. 

Volatile  oils  may  be  given  in  pill  form  if  mixed  with  other 
substances  to  no  greater  extent  than  ^  drop  in  each  pill. 

Very  oxidizable  chemicals,  like  potassium  permanganate,  may 
be  given   in  an   excipient   like   cacao  butter,   petrolatum   or  resin 


56 

cerate,  while  crumb  of  bread  may  be  used  to  take  up  powerful 
liquids,  like  croton  oil  and  volatile  oils.  Confection  of  rose  is  well 
adapted  where  a  bulky  excipient  is  desired,  while  soap  forms  a 
useful  addition  to  pills  containing  resinous  substances.  When  pills 
are  intended  for  intestinal  medication  they  may  be  coated  with 
keratin,  a  substance  prepared  from  the  wing  cases  of  insects  and 
characterized  by  being  soluble  in  alkaline  and  insoluble  in  acid 
media,  so  that  pills  coated  in  this  manner  escape  the  gastric  juice  to 
be  dissolved  in  the  intestinal  secretions. 

The  official  pills  deserving  mention  are  as  follows  : 

PiLULAE  Aloes  et  Mastiches  (Pills  of  Aloes  and  Mastic). — 
These  are  the  well-known  Lady  Webster's  dinner  pills,  in  which  2 
grains  of  purified  aloes  are  combined  with  gr.  ^  of  mastic  and 
red  rose.  The  mastic  probably  retards  solution  and  thereby  in- 
creases the  laxative  action  of  aloes  on  the  lower  bowel. 

PiLULAE  Catharticae  Compositae  (Compound  Cathartic  Pills) 
contain  compound  extract  of  colocynth,  mild  mercurous  chloride, 
extract  of  jalap  and  gamboge,  and  are  very  much  employed 
because  the  combination  of  several  purgatives  decreases  their 
irritant  effect,  while  the  calomel  has  a  special  depleting  influence 
on  the  liver.  The  average  adult  dose  is  three  pills,  each  pill  weigh- 
ing 3  grains. 

PiLULAE  Ferri  Carbonatis  (Pills  of  Carbonate  of  Iron). — The 
famous  Blaud's  pills,  much  used  in  the  treatment  of  chlorosis. 
When  freshly  prepared  they  contain  ferrous  carbonate.  Dose,  i  to  3 
pills. 

PiLULAE  Ferri  Iodidi  (Pills  of  Ferrous  Iodide),  usually  known 
as  pills  of  iodide  of  iron.  Each  pill  contains  about  gr.  i  of 
ferrous  iodide,  and  gr.  \  of  reduced  iron.  They  are  coated  with 
balsam  of  tolu  and  ought  to  be  recently  prepared.  Dose,  i  to 
3  pills. 

PiLULAE  Opii  (Pills  of  Opium). — Each  contains  a  full  dose,  or 
gr.  I  of  powdered  opium. 

PiLULAE  Phosphori  (Pills  of  Phosphorus). — The  dose  is  one 
pill,  representing  y^^  of  a  grain  of  phosphorus,  if  carefully  pre- 
pared. They  should  have  the  peculiar  matchy  odor  of  phosphorus 
if  crushed,  showing  that  it  is  contained  in  an  unoxidized  con- 
dition. 


57 

MASSAE— MASSES. 

Massae  (or  Masses)  are  pill  masses  kept  on  hand  by  the  phar- 
macist.    Three  are  official,  two  of  which  are  frequently  employed. 

Massa  Ferri  Carbonatis  (Mass  of  Ferrous  Carbonate),  the 
well-known  Vallet's  mass,  contains  the  ferrous  carbonate  and  is 
prescribed  in  anaemic  conditions.     Dose,  3  to  5  grs. 

Massa  Hydrargyri  (Mass  of  Mercury,  or  Blue  Mass),  contains 
T,^  per  cent,  of  metallic  mercury  in  a  pleasantly  flavored  excipient. 
Is  given  as  a  cathartic  and  to  produce  the  constitutional  effect  of 
mercur)^  It  is  one  of  the  mildest  of  all  the  mercurial  preparations. 
Dose,  5  to  15  grs.  as  a  cathartic. 


CONFECTIONES— CONFECTIONS. 

CoNFECTiONES  (or  Confcctions)  are  the  remnants  of  the  old- 
fashioned  conserves  and  electuaries.  They  were  originally  intended 
to  serve  as  an  agreeable  method  for  administering  powerful  medi- 
cines.    Two  are  recognized  by  the  pharmacopoeia. 

CoNFECTio  RosAE  (Confection  of  Rose)  is  a  popular  excipient 
when  it  is  desired  to  increase  the  bulk  of  a  pill. 


-4 


UNGUENIA-— OINTMENTS.    ^  ^ 


Unguenta  (or  Ointments)  are  preparations  containing  some 
fatty  substance  as  a  basis  adapted  to  be  applied  by  inunction.  In 
general  they  may  be  said  to  meet  three  indications  : 

1.  For  the  systemic  exhibition  of  a  remedy. 

2.  For  local  effect. 

3.  To  act  as  a  mere  protective  dressing. 

A  few  remedies  produce  their  constitutional  effect  as  readily 
when  rubbed  into  the  skin  in  the  form  of  ointments  as  when  they 
are  introduced  into  the  stomach,  excepting  that  a  longer  period  of 
time  is  required.  Mercurial  ointment  is  a  notable  example  and  fur- 
nishes a  sure  method  of  ptyalizing  a  patient  without  disturbing  the 
digestive  tract.  Many  substances  have  been  recommended  as  bases 
for  ointments,  but  practically  only  three  have  stood  the  test  of  time  ; 
these  are  lard  (and  suet),  lanolin,  and  petrolatum,  and  each  may  be 
said  to  answer  certain  indications. 


58 

Lard  maybe  taken  as  the  type  of  the  animal  fats,  and  furnishes 
an  excellent  basis  for  ointments,  but  unfortunately  shares  the  property 
common  to  all  vegetable  and  animal  fats,  that  of  becoming  rancid. 
Careful  investigations  as  to  the  relative  absorptive  power  of  the 
skin  for  various  fatty  preparations  are  still  lacking,  but  it  seems 
rational  to  suppose  that  lard  (or  suet)  is  more  readily  taken  up  by 
the  skin  than  lanolin  or  the  vegetable  bases,  because  of  the  well- 
known  fact  that  animal  fats,  as  a  rule,  are  readily  taken  up  in  the 
digestive  tract  and  assimilated,  while  vegetable  oils  are  scarcely 
acted  upon  at  all  under  the  same  conditions. — Lanojin  is  the  puri- 
fied fat  of  sheep's  wool  and  was  at  one  time  highly  recommended 
because  of  its  apparent  rapid  and  complete  absorption  by  the  skin. 
In  addition  it  does  not  become  rancid.  It  appears  improbable  that 
lanolin  should  be  a  better  basis  than  lard,  the  former  being  largely 
composed  of  cholesterin,  a  product  excreted  by  the  skin  and  not  at 
all  acted  upon  by  the  digestive  juices  when  placed  within  the  body, 
,  /KiH/t-w^  It  forms  the  bulk  of  the  so-called  gall  stones  and  must  be  regarded 
"^^^"^  as  an  excretory  product.  Much  of  the  constitutional  effect  obtained 
from  a  medicated  ointment  depends  upon  the  thoroughness  with 
which  it  is  rubbed  into  the  skin,  and  the  results  obtained  from 
the  use  of  lanolin  are  probably  due  to  the  more  tenacious  character 
of  the  latter,  and  to  the  fact  that  a  portion  of  the  cuticle  was 
removed  during  the  application.  At  any  rate,  lard  and  suet  have 
always  been  preferred  in  the  manufacture  of  mercurial  ointment, 
which  is  the  best  illustration  of  the  applicability  of  a  drug  to  the  skin 
for  producing  its  systemic  effect. 

Lard  is  made  more  permanent  by  the  addition  of  the  soluble 
constituents  of  benzoin,  a  preparation  known  as  benzoinated  lard, 
which  is  preferred  as  a  basis  in  14  of  the  23  official  ointments. 
When  lard  itself  is  too  soft,  the  addition  of  yellow  wax  gives  it  a 
firmer  consistence,  as  in  the  official  ointment  or  unguentum.  The 
following  of  the  official  formulae  deserve  mention : 

Unguentum  (or  Ointment). — Used  whenever  a  preparation 
more  firm  than  pure  lard  is  desired. 

Unguentum  Aquae  Rosae  (Ointment  ot  Rose  Water). — 
Known  as  cold  cream,  and  contains  spermaceti,  white  wax,  ex- 
pressed oil  of  almond  and  stronger  rose  water,  with  a  little  borax 
to  whiten  the  preparation.  Employed  for  its  softening  effect  on 
the  skin. 


0 


(8) 


59 

Unguentum  Belladonnae  (Belladonna  Ointment). — Used  to 
obtain  the  anodyne  effect  of  belladonna  and  to  check  secretion. 
Frequently  combined  with  mercurial  ointment. 

Unguentum  Hydrargyri  (Mercurial  Ointment). — Blue  oint- 
ment is  extensively  employed  to  obtain  the  constitutional  effect  of 
mercury  by  inunction.  It  is  best  prescribed  in  5ss-i  papers,  and  is 
to  be  rubbed  well  into  the  skin  by  the  patient  himself  The  cus- 
tomary remedy  in  pediculosis  pubis. 

Unguentum  Zinci  Oxidi  (Ointment  of  Zinc  Oxide). — Popularly 
known  as  zinc  ointment.  Used  wherever  a  mild  astringent  and 
desiccating  effect  is  desired. 

Owing  to  the  tendency  of  fatty  substances  to  become  rancid, 
ointments  are  almost  of  necessity  extemporaneous  preparations. 

Petrolatum  is  a  basis  resembling  fat,  but  which  is  really  a 
hydrocarbon,  and  of  such  firm  chemical  character  that  it  can  be 
distilled  unchanged  with  sulphuric  acid.  It  is  absolutely  permanent 
in  air,  and  has  become  a  popular  excipient  for  those  ointments 
which  are  intended  merely  as  local  or  protective  dressings :  it  is  no 
more  absorbed  by  the  skin  than  it  is  assimilated  when  placed  within 
the  system.  Many  chemicals  can  be  combined  with  it,  and  it  is  of 
such  consistence  that  it  readily  melts  at  the  temperature  of  the  body. 

Ointments  are  prepared  by  reducing  the  solid  ingredients  to  a 
fine  powder,  mixing  this  with  a  portion  of  the  fatty  basis,  and  finally 
incorporating  the  rest  of  the  latter,  the  process  being  conducted  in 
a  mortar  or  on  a  pill  tile.  When  a  solid  fat  i"  to  be  added  for 
greater  firmness,  the  ointment  is  made  by  fusing  the  several  ingre- 
dients at  as  low  a  temperature  as  possible,  and  stirring  it  until  it 
congeals.  Care  should  always  be  taken  that  any  solid  substance  be 
reduced  to  a  very  fine  powder,  so  that  the  finished  preparation  be 
perfectly  smooth ;  also  that  the  ointment  is  perfectly  free  from  ran- 
cidity, as  otherwise  it  will  cause  positive  harm  by  direct  irrita- 
tion. 

Petrolatum  of  itself  constitutes  a  good  dressing  for  wounds,  if 
rendered  sterile  by  a  temperature  of  240°  F.  for  one  hour.  It  is  prac- 
tically made  aseptic  by  heat  and  sulphuric  acid  during  the  process 
of  purification,  but  becomes  reinfected  before  it  reaches  the  con- 
sumer. Five  per  cent,  of  carbolic  acid  may  be  added  to  it  to  make 
it  antiseptic,  and  the  addition  of  boric  acid  converts  it  into  the  boric 
ointment  which  is  used  so  extensively  in  minor  surgical  work. 


6o 

TROCHISCI— TROCHES.   ?■--<: 

Trochisci  (or  Troches)  are  lozenges ;  medicinally  they  are 
employed  to  convey  drugs  that  produce  their  effect  by  slow 
solution  in  the  mouth.  Thislclass  is  prepared  almost  exclusively  on 
the  large  scale,  and  differs  from  compressed  tablets  merely  by  the 
fact  that  the  latter  are  intended  to  be  swallowed  whole.  The  fol- 
lowing official  troches  are  used  for  mild  medicinal  effect,  each  one 
containing  small  proportions  of  the  respective  drugs  : 

Troches  of  ammonium  chloride,  troches  of  glycyrrhiza  and 
opium  (Wistar's  lozenges),  troches  of  potassium  chlorate,  and 
troches  of  santonin  (worm  lozenges). 


^   CERATA— CERATES,     if 

Cerata  (or  Cerates)  are  somewhat  firmer  than  ointments,  so 
that  they  may  be  spread  on  linen  or  other  material.  Two  of  the 
official  six  cerates  are  used  to  some  extent. 

Ceratum  Cantharidis  (Cantharides  Cerate)  is  ordered  by  the 
physician  when  he  desires  to  prescribe  a  blister.  The  size  of  the 
latter  is  indicated  as  follows  : 

B 

Emplastrum  vesicatorium 2'  x  2' 

S.     Apply  locally. 

Dr. . 

Ceratum  Resinae  (Resin  Cerate,  or  Basilicon  Ointment)  is  used 
as  a  gently  stimulating  application  to  old  ulcers  and  burns. 


\EMPLASTRA— PLASTERS.  1^ 

Emplastra  (or  Plasters)  are  preparations  for  external  use,  of 
such  consistence  that  they  soften,  but  do  not  melt  at  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  body.  They  are  spread  on  some  suitable  material  and 
are  much  used  by  the  laity,  though  they  are  rarely  prescribed  by 
the  profession.  The  most  popular  of  the  thirteen  ofificial  plasters  are 
those  of  arnica,  belladonna,  capsicum,  mercury,  isinglass,  lead,  resin 
and  soap.     Of  these,  isinglass  and  resin  plaster  are  more  commonly 


ilOCHEMfSTRY  DEPT. 


6i 


known  by  the  names  of  court  and  adhesive  plaster ;  the  latter  is 
also  known  as  surgeon's  adhesive.  The  use  of  plasters  by  physi- 
cians to-day  has  almost  narrowed  down  to  purposes  of  support  and 
protection  only,  and  the  preparation  of  plasters  is  in  the  hands  of 
the  large  manufacturers.  Man)^  therapeutists  entirely  disclaim  any 
medicinal  effect  on  the  part  of  plasters. 


CHARTAE— PAPERS. 

Chartae  (or  Papers)  are  prepared  by  impregnating  paper  with 
a  medicinal  substance.     Both  official  papers  are  much  used. 

Charta  Potassii  Nitratis  (Potassium  Nitrate  Paper,  or  Salt- 
petre Paper),  is  an  efficient  remedy  for  the  temporary  rehef  of 
asthma.  It  is  made  by  saturating  unsized  paper  with  a  concentrated 
solution  of  potassium  nitrate.  The  dried  paper  burns  slowly  and 
the  nitrous  fumes  given  off,  when  inhaled,  cause  a  relaxation  of  the 
spasm  during  the  asthmatic  spell. 

Charta  Sinapis  (Mustard  Paper)  is  made  by  spreading  pow- 
dered black  mustard  on  paper;  it  should  be  dipped  in  warm  water 
before  it  is  applied  to  the  skin  for  its  counter-irritant  effect. 


SUPPOSITORIA— SUPPOSITORIES. 

Suppositories  are  cone-shaped  bodies,  weighing  about  i 
gramme,  intended  for  administration  per  rectum.  Occasionally  they 
are  employed  to  medicate  the  urethra  and  vagina;  the  urethral  s,\x^- 
pository  weighs  about  i  gramme  and  is  pencil-shaped,  while  the 
vaginal  suppository  weighs  about  3  grammes  and  is  globular  in 
shape. 

Rectal  suppositories  may  be  said  to  meet  three  different  indi- 
cations : 

1.  To  unload  the  bowel.     <^H  <^^^  ' 

2.  To  medicate  surrounding  structures.  (i^j^-^i^^-'yyMy^ru 

3.  To  produce  a  constitutional  effect.         CC^^v<x.-^''>^'^ 

The  official  glycerin  suppositories  illustrate  the  first  class. 
They  produce  their  laxative  effect  by  irritating  the  mucous  coat  of 
the  rectum. 


62 

Drugs  like  camphor,  chloral,  etc.,  may  be  given  by  suppository 
to  subdue  irritation  of  the  surrounding  organs  ;  the  use  of  camphor 
by  suppository  in  the  treatment  of  chordee  will  serve  as  an 
example. 

The  systemic  effect  of  a  remedy  can  in  many  instances  be 
obtained  by  introducing  the  substance  into  the  rectum,  though  the 
action  is  slower  and  a  relatively  larger  dose  is  required  than  when 
the  drug  is  administered  by  way  of  the  stomach.  This  method  is 
preferred  when  there  is  great  irritability  of  the  stomach,  when  the 
patient  is  delirious  and  in  case  the  bulk  of  the  dose  is  too  great  or 
the  remedy  too  irritating  to  admit  of  hypodermatic  administration. 

Suppositories  may  be  made  by  moulding,  by  rolling,  or  by^ 
confipressjon.  In  the  preparation  of  the  moulded  suppositories  the 
ingredients  are  fused  together  at  as  low  a  temperature  as  possible 
and  the  liquid  mass  poured  into  specially  constructed  moulds, 
which  have  been  chilled  thoroughly  and  which  are  absolutely  dry. 
This  is  best  accomplished  by  placing  the  moulds  on  ice  and  allow- 
ing them  to  become  perfectly  cold  ;  then  the  mould  is  freed  perfectly 
from  moisture  and  the  melted  mixture  poured  in  carefully.  Each 
separate  compartment  is  filled  to  overflowing  to  allow  for  contrac- 
tion in  the  mass  as  it  cools.  The  moulds  are  replaced  on  the  ice 
and  again  thoroughly  chilled  before  being  opened. 

The  finished  suppository  should  be  of  such  a  nature  that  it 
melts  readily  at  the  temperature  of  the  body,  but  remains  perfectly 
solid  at  ordinary  temperatures.  The  best  basis  is  found  in  oil  of 
theobroma,  the  official  Oleum  Theobromatis  ;  it  is  the  fixed  oil  ex- 
pressed from  the  seed  of  Theobroma  Cacao,  or  the  "chocolate  nut." 
The  oil  consists  of  a  mixture  of  fats,  having  an  agreeable  chocolate- 
like odor  and  characterized  by  melting  to  a  thin  liquid  at  the  tem- 
perature of  the  body,  but  congealing  to  a  perfectly  firm,  hard  solid 
a  few  degrees  below  this  point.  In  the  hottest  summer  weather,  it 
becomes  necessary  to  incorporate  with  the  oil  of  theobroma  a  small 
amount  of  stearin,  so  that  the  suppositories  do  not  melt  before  in- 
troduction. Suppositories  are  conveniently  dispensed  in  pasteboard 
boxes  fitted  with  compartments,  with  the  caution  that  they  be  kept 
in  a  cool  place. 

Rolled  suppositories  are  prepared  by  incorporating  the  medi- 
cinal substance  with  the  "cacao-butter"  in  a  mortar,  and  shaping  the 
mass  into  a  cylinder  similar  to  the  one  made  in  the  manufacture  of 


63 

pills.  The  cylinder  is  cut  into  sections,  and  each  section  given  the 
required  form  by  manipulation  with  the  fingers.  Pressed  supposi- 
tories are  made  by  mixing  the  mass  in  a  mortar  and  then  pressing 
it  into  proper  shape  by  compression  in  a  small  machine.  The  ad- 
vantage claimed  for  rolled  and  pressed  suppositories  is  that  no  heat 
is  used  in  their  preparation,  but  oil  of  theobroma  melts  at  so  low  a 
temperature  that  by  careful  manipulation  little  danger  of  injury 
arises  from  this  source.  The  moulded  suppository  always  presents 
the  neatest  appearance,  if  carefully  prepared. 

Suppositories  are  usually  made  extemporaneously  at  the  order 
of  the  physician,  though  large  quantities  of  glycerin  suppositories 
are  prepared  by  the  manufacturer.  They  contain  sodium  carbon- 
ate and  stearin  if  made  by  the  official  process. 


CAPSULAE— CAPSULES. 
(Unofficial) 

Capsulae  (Capsules)  form  a  safe  and  convenient  method  of 
exhibiting  remedies  offensive  to  the  taste  or  nauseating  to  the 
stomach.  They  are  used  for  the  administration  of  liquids  or  solids 
and  are  made  of  gelatin,  which  dissolves  easily  in  the  gastric  juices 
and  has  no  medicinal  action  of  its  own.  Volatile  oils  and  similar 
irritating  liquids  are  especially  suited  for  administration  in  this 
form,  and  large  quantities  of  oil  of  sandalwood,  oil  of  cubebs  and 
of  copaiba  are  thus  prepared  by  the  manufacturing  pharmacists. 

Capsules  may  also  be  filled  extemporaneously  with  powders  at 
the  direction  of  the  physician.  For  this  purpose  the  capsule  is  made 
of  two  parts,  a  body  and  a  cap ;  the  body  is  filled  with  the  powder 
and  the  cap  is  firmly  applied,  care  being  taken  to  carefully  wipe  off 
any  adhering  powder  from  the  capsule.  Several  methods  are 
employed  to  fill  capsules  :  in  one  a  mass  is  made  of  the  powder, 
this  is  divided  into  little  cylinders  and  each  cylinder  enclosed  in  a 
capsule.  A  preferable  method  consists  in  introducing  the  dry  pow- 
der, either  by  means  of  a  little  funnel  (capsule  filler)  or  by  picking 
it  up  with  the  body  of  the  capsule,  after  sub-dividing  it  into  the 
required  number  of  parts. 

Capsules  present  the  advantage  over  pills  of  containing  a  dry 
powder,  which  is  at  once  mixed  with  the  gastric  contents  by  disin- 


64 

tec^ration  of  its  gelatin  covering  ;  also,  on  account  of  the  facilit\- 
with  which  capsules  can  be  swallowed,  a  much  larger  bulk  of  anv 
substance  can  be  conveniently  administered  in  that  shape,  than  in 
the  form  of  pills. 


CACHETS.     ^^ 


y. 


(Unofficial) 

Cachets,  or  cachets  de  pai?i,  are  concave  di.scs  of  wafer-sheet, 
so  constructed,  that  two  can  be  joined  together  to  enclose  a 
dry  powder.  They  represent,  beyond  question,  the  most  elegant 
method  of  administering  bitter  or  nauseating  substances  and  offer 
the  additional  advantage  that  a  relatively  large  dose  can  be  taken 
in  this  manner — ten  grains  of  quinine  sulphate  can  be  enclosed 
in  a  cachet  and  swallowed  more  easily  than  a  five  grain  pill  of  the 
same  drug.  Cachets  are  made  from  wafer-sheet ;  they  are  filled 
by  dampening  the  free  edge  of  one  disc,  introducing  the  dry  pow- 
der and  applying  a  second  disc,  so  that  its  concave  surface  corres- 
ponds to  that  of  the  first.  A  little  pressure  will  cause  them  to 
cohere  and  the  powder  is  enclosed  firmly  in  a  material,  which  is 
brittle  and  firm  when  dry,  but  soft,  slippery  and  perfectly  soluble 
when  moistened  by  a  liquid.  The  cachet  is  taken  by  suspending 
it  for  an  instant  in  water  (until  it  softens),  placing  it  upon  the 
tongue  and  taking  immediately,  a  mouthful  of  water,  when  the 
cachet  will  slip  down  as  readily  as  a  raw  oyster. 

The  principle  reason  why  cachets  are  not  more  universally 
employed  lies  in  their  expense;  their  preparation  in  ordinary  quan- 
tities necessitates  the  use  of  high-priced  apparatus.*  A  simple 
and  inexpensive  method  to  reach  the  same  end,  lies  in  the  use  of 
the  wafer-sheet  sold  by  pharmacists.  The  patient  is  directed  to 
float  a  piece  of  this  wafer-sheet,  of  suitable  size,  on  a  glassful  of 
water;  as  soon  as  it  softens,  to  pick  it  up  carefully  from  below  with 
a  spoon,  and  to  place  the  dry  powder  in  the  hollow  produced  ;  the 
free  edges  of  the  sheet  are  now  folded  carefully  over  the  powder, 
and  the  whole  may  be  swallowed  before  the  latter  has  a  chance  to 
dissolve. 


*'rhe  name  konseals  has  been  suggested  for  the  cachets  filled  extemporaneously  by  the 
appHvatusof  an  American  firm. 


INCOMPATIBILITY. 

Medicinal  substances  are  said  to  be  incompatible  when  they  do 
not  mix  without  change  in  their  chemical^  physical,  or  therapeutic  p^^-^ — '^^ 
properties.     Accordingly,  all  incompatibilities  may  be  divided  into 
three  classes  : 

/    I.  Chemical. 
J    II.  Physical. 
/    III.  Therapeutic. 

Chemical  incompatibility  results  when  chemical  substances 
are  combined,  which  mutually  precipitate  each  other,  form  explosive 
compounds,  liberate  volatile  ingredients,  or  react  in  any  manner  so 
as  to  form  new  compounds.  Obviously,  the  range  of  chemical 
incompatibility  includes  the  whole  field  of  chemistry  and  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  latter  is  absolutely  necessary  to  avoid  the  combination 
of  conflicting  substances  ;  nearly  all  the  commonly  occurring  mix- 
tures which  are  troublesome,  may  be  arranged  under  one  of  the 
following  subdivisions : 

1.  Chemicals  which  form  explosive  compounds. 

2.  Solutions  of  chemicals,  which  when  mixed,  form  insoluble 
precipitates. 

3.  Salts  of  the  alkaloids  with  alkalies,  and  with  many  of  their 
salts,  particularly  their  carbonates,  iodides  and  bromides. 

4.  Mineral  acids  with  salts  of  weak  or  volatile  acids,  such  as 
the  carbonates,  acetates,  etc. 

5.  Alkaloids,  albumen  and  gelatin,  with  tannic  acid  and  with 
preparations  containing  the  same  (infusions,  decoctions,  tinctures 
and  fluid  extracts). 

6.  Preparations  containing  free  acetic,  citric,  or  tartaric  acid, 
with  carbonates. 

7.  Vegetable  infusions,  decoctions,  tinctures  and  fluid  extracts 
containing  tannic  or  gallic  acids  with  preparations  of  iron,  and  of 
the  metals  in  general. 

An  instance  of  the  first  class,  the  formation  of  explosive  com- 
pounds, is  found  when  readily  reducible  substances,  like  potassium 
chlorate  or  potassium  permanganate,  are  triturated  with  sulphur  or 
organic  matter,  which  is  readily  oxidized. 

(65) 


66 

2.  The  precipitation  of  one  substance  by  another,  in  solution, 
is  usually  unintentional,  but  may  be  intentional,  as  in  the  following 
prescriptions : 

LoTio  Nigra  (n.  f).* 

BLACK    WASH. 

Hydrargyri  Chloridi  Mitis 5j  gr-  iv 

Aquae f5ss 

Liquoris  Calcis quantum  sufficit  ad  Oj 

Misce  secundum  artem. 

Signa  :  Shake  well.     Use  as  a  wash. 


Lead  Water  and  Laudanum. 

^        .         .  . 

Liquoris  Plumbi  Subacetatis f^ss 

Tincturae  Opii fiss 

Aquam ad       Oj 

Misce.  Signa :     Shake  well.     For  external  use. 

In  the  first  prescription  the  black  mercurous  oxide  precipitates  • 
in  the  second,  the  precipitate  is  of  indefinite  composition  but  con- 
tains active  constituents.  Neither  of  these  formulae  will  permit 
filtration  without  loss  in  therapeutic  effect. 

3.  Precipitation  of  an  alkaloid  occurs  when  an  alkali  or  alkaline 
salt  is  added  to  a  solution  of  the  former : 

Ammonii  Carbonatis 3Jiss 

MorphinaeSulphatis gf- ij 

Aquae  Menthae  Piperitae f  Jiv 

Misce.  Signa  :     A  teaspoonful  every  four  hours. 

The  danger  of  such  a  prescription  lies  in  the  separation  of 
the  alkaloid — if  the  mixture  is  not  well  shaken  before  each  admin- 
istration, all  the  morphine  may  be  taken  in  the  last  dose. 

*National  Formulary.    This  contains  a  number  of  unofficial,  but  well-known  and  largely 
nsed  formulae,  recommended  by  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association. 


(9) 


( 


67 

■'         4-  Mineral  acids  liberate  the  chemically  weak  or  volatile  acids, 
as  in  the  following  prescription  : 

Sodii  Salicylatis 3ijss 

Acidi  Sulphurici  Aromatici •   .    .    .    .      f5ij 

I  Aquae  Menthae  Piperitae       .    .  quantum  sufficit  ad    f^iv 

Misce.  Signa  :     A  teaspoonful  every  four  hours. 

The  salicylic  acid  is  set  free  and  precipitated,  because  it  is 
sparingly  soluble  in  water  (450  parts). 

5.  Alkaloids,  albumen  and  gelatin  are  precipitated  by  tannic 
acid. 

Morphinae  Sulphatis    ....        gr.  j 

Tincturae  Catechu  Compositae f  5ij 

Syrupi  Zingiberis, 

Aquae  Menthae  Piperitae  partes  aequales  ut  fiant    .      f  ^ij 
Misce.  Signa  :     A  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day. 

Tannate  of  morphine  is  precipitated  by  the  tannic  acid  con- 
tained in  the  compound  tincture  of  catechu. 

6.  Preparations  containing  free  acetic,  citric  or  tartaric  acid,  are 
incompatible  with  carbonates.  The  following  have  often  been  im- 
properly prescribed  together : 

B 

Ammonii  Carbonatis 3ij 

Ammonii  Chloridi 3ij 

Syrupi  Scillae fSj 

Syrupi  Pruni  Virginianae f  3ij 

Misce.  Signa :     A  teaspoonful  four  times  a  day. 

Syrup  of  squill  is  made  from  the  vinegar  of  squill  and  contains 
acetic  acid ;  this  decomposes  the  ammonium  carbonate,  with  evolu- 
tion of  carbonic  acid  gas.  Syrup  of  garlic  is  another  expectorant 
syrup  made  from  a  vinegar  and  furnishes  the  same  reaction. 

7.  Vegetable  preparations  are  incompatible  with  solutions  con- 
taining iron  or  the  heavy  metals  in  general.  This  is  one  of  the 
most  common  forms  of  improper  combination,  as  nearly  all  infusions. 


68 

decoctions,  tinctures  and  fluid   extracts  contain  tannic   acid,  which 
yields  an  inky  precipitate  with  iron. 

B 

Potassii  Acetatis 3  'iss 

Tincturae  Digitahs f  3 '•''S 

Liquoris  Ferri  et  Ammonii  Acetatis fSviij 

Misce.     Signa  :    A  tablespoonful  after  meals. 

The  tannic  acid  of  the  tincture  combines  with  the  iron  of  the 
Basham's  mixture,  forming  an  inky  preparation.  The  remedy 
would  be  to  omit  the  iron,  using  instead  the  solution  of  ammonium 
acetate,  and  to  give  the  iron  separately. 

Physical  INCOMPATIBILITY  arises  when  precipitation  takes  place 
in  preparations  without  chemical  change.  This  is  usually  due  to  a 
change  in  the  menstruum ;  it  occurs  when  alcoholic  preparations, 
such  as  tinctures,  fluid  extracts  and  spirits  are  mixed  with  liquids 
containing  water,  as  the  solutions,  waters,  infusions  and  decoc- 
tions. Alcohol  especially  precipitates  albumen,  gum  and  starch 
from  aqueous  solutions,  while  resins  are  especially  insoluble  in 
water.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  the  degree  of  precipitation  is 
largely  dependent  on  the  percentage  of  alcohol  in  the  alcoholic 
liquid  and  that  of  water  in  the  aqueous  preparation  ;  also,  that  it  is 
most  pronounced  w^ien  a  resinous  tincture  is  added  to  an  aqueous 
liquid.  Occasionally,  precipitation  occurs  when  tinctures  are  mixed 
which  only  differ  slightly  in  the  percentage  of  alcohol  they  con- 
tain ;  it  takes  place,  in  most  cases,  when  tinctures  are  mixed  which 
differ  considerably  in  the  amount  of  alcohol  contained  in  their  men- 
struum. 

The  precipitate  may  be  active  or  inert  according  to  circum- 
stances ;  it  is  usually  inert,  though  every  deposit  occurring  in 
pharmaceutical  preparations  has  a  tendency  to  carry  down  a  part, 
at  least,  of  the  active  principle.  Often  the  combination  of  decoc- 
tions, infusions,  solutions  and  waters,  with  tinctures,  fluid  extracts 
and  spirits,  results  only  in  the  precipitation  of  gum,  starch,  albumen, 
coloring  matter,  or  other  inert  material  and  the  mixture  may  be 
filtered  without  serious  loss  in  therapeutic  strength  ;  at  other  times 
active  ingredients,  like  the  resins,  may  be  thrown  out  of  solution 
and  the  preparation  must  be  dispensed  in  an  unfiltered  condition, 
with  the  directions  to  shake  well  before  usingf. 


69 

The  following  formula  is  an   example  of  physical  incompati- 
bility : 

Pepsini 5i 

Tincturae  Nucis  Vomicae fjiij 

Tincturae  Gentianae  Compositae 

quantum  sufficit  ad      f^vi 
Misce.  Signa  :  A  teaspoonful  before  meals. 

Pepsin  is  insoluble  in  a  strongly  alcoholic  medium  and  forms 
a  coagulum,  which  cannot  be  mixed  with  the  liquid. 

Therapeutic   incompatibility   occurs   when  substances  are 
prescribed  together  which  have  opposite  physiological  effects. 


PRESCRIPTION  WRITING. 

A  prescription  is  the  written  statement  of  the  physician  to  the 
pharmacist  for  the  compounding  of  one  or  more  medicines,  together 
with  the  directions  to  the  patient  for  taking  them.  This  is  the 
present  acceptance  of  the  term,  though  in  former  times  it  included 
all  the  directions  given  as  to  the  treatment  of  the  patient,  whether 
medicinal  or  otherwise. 

Latin  has  always  been  the  medium  of  communication  between 
the  physician  and  the  apothecary,  and  it  is  the  universal  custom  in 
nearly  all  civilized  countries  to  employ  the  conventional  official 
Latin  names  in  addition  to  certain  peculiar  phrases  which  have 
been  handed  down  to  us  by  custom.  The  advantage  of  this  is 
apparent;  such  a  prescription  calls  for  the  same  ingredients  the 
world  over ;  the  Latin  title  is  brief  and  definite,  is  not  liable  to 
change  and  always  defines  a  certain  drug  with  no  possibility  ot 
mistake,  as  in  the  case  of  the  synonyms  in  common  use.  Further- 
more, it  is  sometimes  necessary  to  keep  a  patient  in  ignorance  of 
what  he  is  taking,  on  account  of  peculiar  prejudices  occasionally 
met  with. 

The  prescription  in  its  simplest  form,  written  in  the  English 
language,  may  appear  as  follows : 

Take  of  Ammonium  Bromide 30  grains. 

Antipyrin 5  grains. 

Solution  of  Potassium  Arsenite  ....     5  minims. 
Peppermint  Water,  sufficient  to  make  one 
tablespoonful. 

This  is  a  single  dose.  The  formula  is  to  be  given  in  the 
treatment  of  epilepsy  and  must  be  administered  continuously  for 
weeks  or  even  months.  Therefore,  the  above  proportions  must  be 
multiplied,  preferably  so  as  to  fill  one  of  the  vials  of  standard  size 
found  in  all  drug  stores:  these  are  of  yi,  i,  2,  3,  4,  6,  S  and  16 
ounces  capacity.     We  will  suppose  that  a  6  ounce  vial  has  been 

(70) 


71 

selected.  This  contains  twelve  tablespoonfuls.  The  formula,  with 
certain  other  additions  found  in  the  typical  prescription,  will  now 
read : 

For  Mr. . 

Take  of  Ammonium  Bromide    .    .  30  grains  X  12  =  360  grains. 

Antipyrin 5  grains  X  12  =    60  grains. 

Solution    of    Potassium 

Arsenite 5  min.      X  12  =    60  minims. 

Peppermint  Water,  suffi- 
cient to  make   .    .  y^  fluidounce  X  12  =  6  fluidounces. 
Dissolve  and  mix. 

Label :  A  tablespoonful  in  the  morning  and  evening,  after  meals. 
I.  29.  '98.  Dr. . 

This  is  to  be  translated  into  Latin.  It  is  customary  to  use  the 
signs  denoting  the  quantity  and  to  reduce  the  latter  down  to  the 
lowest  possible  denomination.  The  Latin  names  for  the  ingredi- 
ents are  Ammonii  Bromidum,  Antipyrinum,*  Liquor  Potassii 
Arsenitis  and  Aqua  Menthae  Piperitae ;  "take  of"  becomes 
"recipe,"  and  "  sufficient  to  make  six  fluidounces"  is  translated 
"  quantum  sufficit  ad  (or,  ut  fiant)  f  ovi."  "  Label "  becomes 
"  Signa,"  "  dissolve  and  mix,"  "  Solve  et  misce."  The  prescription 
is  preceded  by  the  name  of  the  patient,  and  the  signature  of  the 
physician  appears  below,  with  the  date. 

Recipe  is  abbreviated  R.  It  is  the  imperative  mood,  second 
person  singular,  of  recipio,  recipere  and  is  followed  by  the  accusative 
case.  Properly  speaking,  the  prescription  reads  :  Take  six  drachms 
(or  360  grains)  of  Ammonium  Bromide — Recipe  drachmas  sex 
Ammonii  Bromidi,  in  accordance  with  the  rules  of  classic  Latin 
grammar.  The  quantity  is  almost  invariably  expressed  by  the 
conventional  symbols,  gr.,  9,t  5,  ^,  lb.,  "l,  f3,  fS,  Oj,  thus  effect- 
ing a  considerable  saving  of  time;  the  names  of  the  drugs 
are  always  in  the  genitive  case,  unless  the  quantity  be  omitted. 
Finally,  instead  of  calculating  the  actual  amount  of  Peppermint 
Water  necessary  to  produce  the  required  volume,  f  I  vi,  we  simply  say 
"  quantum    sufficit  ad  (or,  ut  fiant)  f  S  vi,"  making  in  all  six  fluid 

*  Or  Phenazonum,  British  Pharmacopoeia.  This  coal-tar  product  is  not  official  in  our 
Pharmacopoeia,  because  it  is  a  proprietary  article. 

t  9,  the  scruple  i'i  rapidly  passing  out  of  use.  There  is  too  much  likelihood  of  mistaking 
it  for  a  carelessly  written  5  and  gr.  xx  are  usually  found  quite  as  convenient. 


72 

ounces  or  12  tablespoonfuls  ;  each  tablespoonful  contains  the 
proper  amount  of  each  ingredient.  The  quantities  are  denoted  by 
the  symbols  and  Latin  numerals;  the  latter  should  be  legibly 
written,  the  i's  carefully  dotted  and  the  last  i  lengthened  into  a  j, 
for  greater  accuracy — thus,  gr.  viij,  grana  octo.  Measure  is  expressed 
by  the  prefix  f  before  the  symbol  f5,  f5,  and  in  this  country  solids 
are  generally  prescribed  by  weight,  and  liquids  by  measure.  Follow- 
ing this,  are  the  directions  to  the  compounder  "  dissolve  and  mix,'' 
or  "  solve  et  misce,"  and  the  "  signatura  "  or  directions  to  the  pa- 
tient, with  the  signature  of  the  physician,  and  the  date. 

The  finished  prescription,  in  unabbreviated  Latin,  may  be  cor- 
rectly written  as  follows  : 

For  Mr. . 

R 

Ammonii  Bromidi 5vi 

Antipyrini 3 ' 

Liquoris  Potassii  Arsenitis f  5  i 

Aquae  Mcnthae  Piperitae    .    .  quantum  sufficit  ad       f  ,5vi 
Solve  et  misce. 

Signa  :  A  tablespoonful  in  the  morning  and  evening,  after  meals. 
I.  29.  '98.  Dr. . 

This  is  a  complete  prescription,  distinguished  as  compound 
from  the  formula  containing  but  one  ingredient  and  hence  called 
simple.  The  different  parts  of  a  typical  prescription  have  received 
the  following  names  : 

1.  The^Syp_EgscRiPTiONj  or  heading. 

2.  The  Inscription,  or  the  names  of  the  ingredients. 

/  _j    V-^  A     3.  THV  Subscription^ or  the  directions  to  the  apothecary. 

I  \}^         ^  4.  The  Signature,  or  the  directions  to  the  patient. 

I     -     5.  The  name  of  the  patient,         ^       have  received  no  special 
r        6.  The  name  of  the  physician,       >      name,  but  are  equally 
7.  The  date,  J       important. 

The  name  of  the  patient  usually  appears  at  the  top  of  the 
sheet.  It  is  often  omitted,  but  its  presence  is  a  safeguard  against 
possibility  of  mistake  and  there  is  commonly  no  objection  on 
the  part  of  the  patient  to  its  appearance  on  the  prescription  and 
label.      Frequently  medicines    may  be  ordered  for   two  or  more 


.U->^' 


-Ld 


f)   . 


<'V' 


t^X-^ifc 


73 

members  of  the  same  household.  Although  fatal  mistakes  are  rare 
if  the  medicines  intended  for  adults  are  interchanged,  an  entirely- 
different  question  arises  when  adults  and  children  are  prescribed 
for  simultaneously.  Not  rarely  the  safe  adult  dose  may  kill  a 
child  and  particularly  is  this  true  of  opium  or  morphine.  Special 
precautions  should  be  used  in  such  cases.  The  bottles  may  be 
ordered  of  different  size  and  the  liquids  of  different  color,  or  two 
entirely  different  forms  of  administration  may  be  chosen,  such  as 
the  pill  or  capsule  for  one,  and  the  liquid  form  for  the  other. 

The  Superscription  (or  Heading)  is  composed  of  the  abbrevi- 
ation R*,  for  the  Latin  word  recipe  (take  thou).  A  little  stroke  at  the 
end  of  the  R  is  by  some  regarded  as  a  remnant  of  the  p  in  recipe,  but 
most  authorities  refer  to  it  as  a  combination  of  the  sign  of  Jupiter  11 
and  the  initial  letter  of  the  Latin  imperative  in  question.  In  ancient 
times,  when  medicine  was  in  the  hands  of  the  priests,  a  prayer  pre- 
ceded the  prescription  ;  this  gradually  narrowed  down  to  the  em- 
ployment of  various  symbols  with  similar  meaning,  until  at  the 
present  day  nothing  but  the  stroke  at  the  end  of  the  R  is  left  of  the 
invocation  to  the  divinity. 

The  Inscription  contains  the  names  and  quantities  of  the 
ingredients  in  pharmacopoeial  Latin.  These  may  be  confined  to  a 
single  medicinal  substance,  in  the  simple,  or  may  represent  a 
number,  in  the  compound  prescription.  Custom  plays  an  essential 
element  in  this,  as  in  many  other  things — formerly  many  ingre- 
dients were  deemed  necessary  for  the  proper  action  of  a  remedy, 
on  the  supposition  that  one  of  these  would  cure,,  just  as  the  charge 
from  a  shot-gun  is  more  liable  to  strike  than  the  single  ball  from  a 
rifle.f  To-day  the  tendency  lies  in  the  opposite  direction.  From 
the  use  of  the  noted  Confection  of  Theriac,  with  its  365  ingredi- 
ents, by  our  ancestors,  we  have  come  down  to  the  employment, 
frequently,  of  single  remedies.  In  many  cases  this  may  be  advisa- 
ble to  determine  the  effect  of  a  single  drug,  but  it  must  not  be 
forgotten  that  by  proper  combination  the  crossed  action  or  combijied 
effect  of  several  substances  can  be  obtained  to  great  advantage.  It 
was  more  especially  during  the  middle  ages,  rather  than  in  ancient 
times,  that  the  number  of  ingredients  in  prescriptions  increased  to 
an  indefinite  extent,  for  the  maxim  of  Asklepiades  reads  curare  cito, 

*  In  France,  P  or  Ps,  for  prenez,  is  not  uncommonly  substituted. 
t  They  have  not  improperly  been  called  shot-gtin  prescriptions. 


74 

iuto,  et  jucuiidc,  to  cure  quickly,  safely  and  pleasantly;  this  is 
recjardcd,  even  at  the  present  day,  as  the  typical  order  of  sequence 
in  the  complete  inscription.     The  latter  is  subdivided  into: 

/  I.  TJig  Basis  (curare)  or  most  important  medicinal  substance. 

I   2.  The  Adjuvant  (cito)  or  Assistant. 

3.  The  Corrective  (tuto)  or  Corrigent. 

4.  The  Vehicle  (jucunde)  or  Diluent.* 

The  Basis  (or  main  active  ingredient)  is  the  substance  from 
which  the  greatest  curative  action  is  expected  {citrare).  In  the  pre- 
scription mentioned,  ammonium  bromide  is  relied  upon  to  decrease 
or  prevent  the  paroxysmal  convulsions  of  epilepsy  and  is  exhibited 
in///'//  dose. 

The  Adjuvant  (or  Assistant)  is  supposed  to  combine  its  own 
action  with  that  of  the  basis,  in  order  that  it  may  cure  more  quickly 
(curare  cito).  Antipyrin  possesses  anti-spasmodic  properties,  and 
is  added  in  moderate  dose  to  augment  the  action  of  the  ammonium 
bromide. 

The  Corrective  (or  Corrigent)  corrects  some  untoward  effect 
obtained  from  either  basis  or  adjuvant.  Ammonium  bromide 
possesses  the  peculiarity  common  to  bromides,  of  producing  an 
eruption  of  acne  when  administered  for  a  prolonged  period  of  time. 
Solution  of  Potassium  Arsenite  (Fowler's  solution)  will  prevent 
this,  and  is  therefore  given  with  the  bromide  and  antipyrin  (curare 
tuto,  safely).  ^.c^^-M^.O'lxy-^-' 

The  Vehicle  (or  Diluent)  finally  fulfills  the  last  requirement  of 
the  maxim,  that  of  curing  pleasantly  (curare  jucunde).  Ammonium 
bromide  has  a  veiy  salty  taste,  and  to  hide  this  as  well  as  to 
counteract  the  effect  of  salines  in  producing  nausea  or  indigestion. 
Peppermint  Water  is  selected,  so  as  to  make  the  preparation  as 
pleasant  as  possible.  The  vehicle  or  diluent  becomes  the  excipient 
when  the  prescription  calls  for  solids  to  be  dispensed  in  the  form  of 
pills.  Both  vehicle  and  excipient  are  usually  devoid  of  active 
medicinal  properties  and  may  be  selected  according  to  the  taste  of 
the  prescriber  or  the  special  indications  of  the  case. 

The  Subscription  consists  of  the  directions  to  the  compounder. 
These  were  formerly  quite  extensive,  but  the  advance  in  modern 
pharmacy    merely    calls    for   the    use   of  a  few  brief  expressions. 

♦The  excipient,  if  the  preparation  be  solid. 


(10) 


75 

Misce,  fiat  mistura,  so've,  fiat  infusum,  may  be  taken  as  examples. 
The  subscription  always  appears  in  Latin. 

The  SiGNA,  SiGNATURA  (or  the  Directions  to  the  Patient),  follow 
the  subscription.  TJiey  should  be  written  in  plain  English^  in 
unabbreviated  form.  This  apparent  deviation  tromthe  rule  rests  on 
a  very  sound  basis.  A  well-marked  element  of  danger  is  found  in 
the  writing  of  all  prescriptions,  that  of  the  possibility  of  making 
mistakes  :  another  arises  during  the  compounding  of  the  formula. 
The  most  careful  prescriber  and  the  most  conscientious  compounder 
are  each  liable  to  err  occasionally  and  therefore  the  chance  of  mis- 
take should  be  reduced  to  a  minimum.  There  are  many  reasons 
why  the  inscription  should  appear  in  Latin,  but  there  is  not  a  single 
good  excuse  why  the  patient  should  not  be  able  to  easily  read  the 
directions  which  are  to  appear  on  the  label.  The  names  of  domestic 
measures  in  Latin  are  awkward  and  their  translation  multiplies  the 
chances  of  error;  besides,  the  patient  usually  scans  the  prescription 
closely  and  knows  the  directions  by  the  time  the  latter  reaches  the 
compounder,  even  if  he  has  forgotten  the  verbal  advice  as  to 
administration.  A  mistake  sometimes  made  by  the  pharmacist — 
and  the  one  which  occurs  most  frequently  while  transposing  the 
directions — is  to  write  table  for  teaspoonful,  thus  multiplying  the 
dose  by  four.  If  the  directions  are  written  in  English,  this  error  is 
more  apt  to  be  noticed.  The  signature  should  not  only  be  in  English, 
but  should  be  written  out  in  full ;  it  is  the  only  means  by  which  the 
druggist  can  determine  whether  the  formula  contains  a  poisonous 
dose.  The  signature  "  use  as  directed  "  is  careless,  inelegant  and 
dangerous ;  the  patient  frequently  forgets  the  verbal  instructions 
and  can  obtain  no  clue  as  to  the  proper  method  of  administration  from 
the  label  or  from  the  pharmacist.  It  forms  a  positive  element  of 
danger ;  mistakes  in  the  proper  dosage  occur  more  frequently 
than  is  generally  supposed,  but  are  referred  back  to  the  physician 
for  correction  if  the  dose  is  indicated  in  the  directions ;  without  the 
latter  the  pharmacist  has  no  possible  way  of  reviewing  the  calcula- 
tions of  the  prescriber. 

Sometimes  the  signatura  might  disclose  the  diagnosis  and  in 
such  cases  can  be  altered  to  make  the  use  of  the  formula  less  appa- 
rent ;  so  "  use  as  a  wash "  may  be  substituted  for  "  use  as  an 
injection."  The  wash  may  be  for  the  eye,  skin,  urethra  or  vagina 
and  the  compounder  need  not  be  made  aware  of  which  one  of 
these  is  affected. 


76 

Occasionally,  unusual  doses  must  be  prescribed.  These  may 
be  indicated  by  the  exclamation  mark,  by  the  use  of  the  abbrevia- 
tion Q.  R.  (quantum  rectum,  the  correct  quantity)  or  by  under- 
scoring the  quantity. 

For  Mr. .  For  Mr.  ^—.  * 

Morphinae  Sulpha-  Morphinae  Sulphatis   .  gr.  viij 

tis gr.  vjQ.R.         Syrupi  Aurantii    .    .    .  fSj 

Sacchari     .    .    .    .  gr.  xxiv.  n/r-          o-            ^ 

„.     ,    ,      ^  ,      ,-r       .  Misce.  bigna :   One  teaspoonful 

Misce.  Fiant  chartulae  No.  vj.  .  °    ,                 .,   ^,. 

„.           ^               ,        ,,     „.  everv tour  hours  until  relieved. 
Signa  :  One  powder  at  bedtime. 

I.  27. '98.  Dr. .  1.27. '98.  Dr. . 

™,  .  ...  1  »    u  This  prescription  not  to  be 

This  prescnption  not  to  be  r  r 

J       ,  .  „  renewed, 

renewed  unless  specially 

ordered. 

These  prescriptions  contain  one  grain  of  morphine  in  each 
dose,  or  from  four  to  six  times  the  usual  quantity.  The  note  at 
the  bottom  prevents  the  patient  from  obtaining  a  renewal  without 
the  knowledge  or  consent  of  the  physician.  Such  a  procedure 
may  become  imperative  when  opiates  are  employed  in  the  treat- 
ment of  patients  afflicted  with  chronic  disease,  to  avoid  the  danger 
of  contracting  the  morphine  habit. 

The  signature  of  the  physiciatt  and  the  date  finish  the  pre- 
scription, which  should  also  contain  the  printed  address  and  the 
office  hours  of  the  prescriber.  In  case  of  doubt  or  actual  error, 
much  valuable  time  can  be  saved  by  at  once  referring  the  matter  to 
the  physician,  and  time  is  frequently  of  value  in  those  cases  in 
which  unusual  doses  must  be  given.  The  signature  of  the  physi- 
cian is  best  written  in  full.  The  date  should  not  be  omitted,  as  it 
may  form  a  guide  for  reference. 

Instead  of  employing  the  full  Latin  official  titles,  it  has  become 
the  custom  to  abbreviate  largely.  This  habit  has  produced  many 
fatal  mistakes,  but  rather  from  the  use  of  faulty  or  illegible  abbrevi- 
ations than  otherwise;  it  is  not  very  apt  to  cause  confusion,  if  the 
latter  are  properly  and  carefully  used,  though  naturally  the  best  and 
most  elegant  method  is  found  in  the  use  of  the  proper  Latin  terms. 
So  Hydr.  Chlor.  can  be  interpreted  Hydrate  of  Chloral  or  either  of 
the  Chlorides  of  Mercury,  Hydrargyri  Chloridum  Corrosivum  and 


(ja^ 


I 


77 

Hydrarp^yri  Chloridum  Mite.  The  corrosive  chloride  of  mercury 
is  a  violent  poison  in  the  doses  in  which  chloral  is  still  safe,  while 
the  same  quantity  of  the  mild  chloride  of  mercury  or  calomel  is 
harmless.  //  slionld  be  an  invariable  rule  to  employ  abbreviations 
only  zvhcn  no  possible  chance  of  doubt  or  error  may  arise  front  their 
use. 

The  following  phrases  are  frequently  made  use  of  in  prescrip- 
tion writing  : 

Fiant  chartulae  No.  xij. 

Fiat  massa  in  pilulas  No.  xij  dividenda. 

Divide  in  pilulas  xij. 

Dispensa  in  capsulis. 

Fiat  pulvis.     Dispensa  tales  doses  No.  xij. 

Occasionally,  a  single  dose  is  ordered  and  the  direction  given 
to  dispense  a  certain  number  of  doses  : 

R  For  Mr. 

Massa  Hydrargyri, 
Pulveris  Scillae, 

Pulveris  Digitalis  .    .    .    .  aa  gr.  j. 
Misce.     Fiat  pilula.     Dispensa  tales  pilulas  No.  xxiv. 
Signa  :  One  pill  three  times  a  day. 
2.  14.  '98.  Dr. 

Official  pills  may  be  written  for  as  follows  : 

R  For  Mr.   

Pilulas  Catharticas  Compositas  No.  xxx. 
Signa :  Two  pills  at  bedtime. 
2.  14.  '98.  Dr. 


In  the  first  formula  the  subscription  reads :  Mix.  Let  a  pill 
be  made.  Dispense  twenty  pills  like  this.  In  the  second  prescrip- 
tion the  apothecary  is  directed  to  dispense  thirty  compound 
cathartic  pills,  the  official  name  appearing  in  the  accusative  case. 


THE  METRIC  PRESCRIPTION. 

The  use  of  the  metric  or  decimal  system  is  increasing  so 
rapidly  in  this  country  that  the  United  States  pharmacopoeia 
adopted  it  for  all  of  its  formulae  at  the  revision  of  1890.  It  is, 
however,  by  no  means  in  general  use,  and  metric  prescriptions  are 
still  rarely  seen ;  the  importance  of  knowing  this  system,  as  well  as 
the  various  systems  in  common  use,  is  evident. 

There  are  some  features  connected  with  the  decimal  system 
which  particularly  qualify  it  for  the  writing  of  prescriptions.  The 
two  units,  Gm.  and  C.c.  are  sufficient  to  express  all  the  quantities 
usually  prescribed ;  these  abbreviations  are  not  likely  to  be  misun- 
derstood or  confounded  ;  calculations  with  these  units  are  made  as 
rapidly  as  those  of  dollars  and  cents.  The  disadvantages  are  that 
10  cannot  be  subdivided  more  than  once  without  producing  a  frac- 
tion ;  in  the  troy  system  the  basis  of  calculation  is  usually  8  or  a 
multiple  of  the  latter  and  8  can  be  divided  a  number  of  times  before 
it  yields  a  fraction.  Again,  a  mere  fly-speck  or  speck  of  dust  may 
divide  or  multiply  the  amounts  by  10,  100  or  1000,  though  this 
may  be  obviated  by  the  use  of  a  comma  or  of  the  decimal  line  in- 
stead of  the  period. 

The  same  grammatical  rules  apply  to  the  writing  of  metric 
and  troy  prescriptions,  but  the  quantities  are  always  expressed  in 
Arabic  numerals.  The  following  are  examples  of  prescriptions 
expressed  in  the  metric  weight : 

For  Mr. For  Mrs. 

B  B 

Ammonii  Chloridi    .    .  Gm.  8.0     Pulveris  Sennae  .    .  Gm.  18.0 

Syrupi  Senegae     .    .    .  C.  c.  8.0     Pulveris  GlycyrrhizaeGm.  23.6 

Syrupi  Pruni  Virginianae  Sulphuris  Loti      .    .  Gm.    8.0 

sufificit  ad  quant,  .  C.  c.  loo.o     Olei  Foeniculi  .    .    .  Gm.    0.4 

_,.  Sacchari Gm.  50.0 

Misce. 

Signa :    One  teaspoonful  every      Misce.  Dispensa  in  scatula. 

three  hours.  Signa  :  A  teaspoonful  in  water 

I.  27.  '98.  Dr. .  at  bedtime. 

1.27. '98.  Dr. . 

(78) 


79 

Two  methods  may  be  used  in  writing  these  formulae,  respec- 
tively known  as  the  gravimetric  and  volumetric  ;  in  the  former  the 
solids  and  Hquids  are  both  weighed,  in  the  latter  the  liquids  are 
measured.  Volume  and  weight  bear  a  definite  ratio  to  each  other 
in  the  metric  system,  the  cubic  centimeter  of  water,  weighing  a 
gramme  at  4°C.  This  is  true  only  of  water,  and  pharmacopoeial 
liquids  vary  extensively  in  specific  gravity,  so  that  the  gramme 
loses  its  relation  to  the  cubic  centimeter.  Glycerin  has  a  specific 
gravity  of  1.25,  syrup  of  1.3 1,  alcohol  of  .820  and  ether  of  .725  ;  in 
other  words  100  C.  c.  of  glycerin  will  weigh  125  grammes  and  100 
C.  c.  of  ether  72.5  grammes.  As  medicines  are  invariably  adminis- 
tered to  the  patient  by  volume,  it  is  always  desirable  to  know  the 
finished  quantity  by  measure  of  any  liquid  prescription,  in  order  to 
correctly  estimate  the  number  of  doses  contained  in  it.  If  the 
liquids  are  prescribed  by  weight,  a  calculation  becomes  necessary  ; 
their  specific  gravities  must  be  compared  with  that  of  water  and  a 
determination  made  in  each  case  as  to  how  much  a  given  quantity 
by  weight  will  measure. 

It  is  evident  that  the  present  custom  of  adhering  to  the  use  of 
volumetric  formulae,  as  it  is  done  by  the  pharmacopoeia  and  by 
nearly  all  American  practitioners,  is  less  complicated  and  therefore 
less  liable  to  give  rise  to  error,  than  the  employment  of  the  gravi- 
metric method  which  is  almost  universally  followed  in  Continental 
Europe.  It  seems  quite  as  accurate  in  the  hands  of  a  careful 
pharmacist,  and  it  appears  rational  to  dispense  liquids  by  the  same 
method  by  which  they  are  administered,  i.  e.,  by  volume. 

Gramma  (plural  grammata)  and  centimetrum  cubicum  have 
been  selected  as  the  Latin  expressions  for  gramme  and  cubic 
centimeter,  and  it  is  recommended  to  adhere  to  the  rules  of  Latin 
grammar  by  following  the  denomination  by  the  numeral;  thus, 
Gm.  5.0  and  C.  c.  5.0.  The  abbreviation  Gm.  is  preferred  to  gm., 
because  the  latter  is  more  easily  mistaken  for  gr.,  the  abbreviation 
of  grain. 


GRAMMATICAL  CONSTRUCTION  OF  PRESCRIPTIONS. 


A  few  rules  of  Latin  grammar  are  applicable  especially  to  pre- 
scription writing  ;  they  may  be  formulated  as  follows  : 

1.  The  quantity  appears  in  the  accusative  case  (governed  by 
Recipe). 

2.  The  name  of  the  drug  appears  in  the  genitive  case;*  if  no 
weight  or  measure  is  expressed  it  appears  in  the  accusative  case. 

3.  Adjectives  agree  with  their  nouns  in  gender,  number  and 
case. 

Most  of  the  pharmacopoeial  nouns  belong  to  the  first,  second 
and  third  declensions  and  change  accordingly.  The  cases  most 
frequently  employed  are  the  nominative,  genitive,  accusative  and 
ablative.  The  nouns  ending  in  a,  are  of  the  first  declension  and 
usually  feminine  in  gender ;  those  ending  in  us,  um,  belong  to  the 
second  declension,  the  first  being  masculine  and  the  second  neuter 
in  gender,  while  the  nouns  of  the  third  declension  constitute  the 
greater  number  of  the  remainder. 

First  Declension. 
Singular. 

Nominative  case,  a 
Genitive  case,        ae 
Accusative  case,   am 
Ablative  case,        a 

Plural. 

Nominative  case,  ae 

Genitive  case,        arum 

Accusative  case,  as 

Ablative  case,       is  is,  is  atibus,  idibus,  itibus 

The  nouns  of  Greek  derivation  ending  in  a  form  a  genitive  of 
ATis  and  a  nominative  plural  of  ata.  This  applies  especially  to  Aspi- 
dosperma.  Enema,  Gargarisma,  Gramma,  Theobroma  and  Physo- 
stigma. 

The  nouns  of  Greek  derivation  ending  in  e,  form  a  genitive  of 
ES  and  an  accusative  of  en — Aloe,  Aloes,  Mastiche,  Mastiches. 

*  Exception  :    J^-',  Hydrargyri  cum  Creta  5ij,  creta  remaining  in  the  ablative  case. 

f8o) 


Second 

Declension. 

Third 

Declension. 

Masculine,    Neuter. 

Sir 

gular. 

Singular. 

us. 

um 

as, 

is. 

is 

i, 

i 

atis. 

idis, 

itis 

um. 

um 

atem. 

idem. 

item 

0, 

0 

ate, 

ide. 

ite 

Plural. 

Plural, 

h 

a 

ates. 

ides. 

ites 

orum 

,    orum 

atum. 

idum. 

itum 

OS, 

a 

ates. 

ides. 

ites 

8i 

A  few  nouns  terminating  in  us  do  not  belong  to  the  second 
declension :  Rhus  becomes  Rhois,  and  Fructus,  Cornus,  Quercus 
and  Spiritus  are  of  the  fourthdeclension.  The  latter  have  the  same 
termination  for  the  nominative  singular  and  plural,  and  the  genitive 
singular,  i.  e.  us.  The  accusative  singular  ends  in  um,  the  ablative 
in  u,  while  the  accusative  plural  ends  in  us  and  the  ablative  in  ibus. 
With  the  exception  of  Spiritus,  they  are  seldom  employed. 

So  many  different  terminations  are  found  for  the  nominative 
singular  of  the  third  declension,  that  no  definite  rules  can  be  given ; 
AS  changes  to  atis  (exception  Sassafras,  indeclinable).  The  ending 
IS  may  become  is,  idis,  eris  or  itis  for  the  genitive  and  the  indi- 
vidual words  must  be  noted  separately. 

But  one  noun  of  the  fifth  declension  is  used  in  prescription 
writing — dies,  a  day,  as  in  bis  in  die,  or  ter  in  die,  twice  daily  or 
three  times  a  day. 

Words  of  barbarous  origin  do  not  change.  Among  these 
Sassafras,  Buchu,  Catechu,  Matico,  Kino  and  Cusso  may  be  men- 
tioned. 

Adjectives  must  agree  with  their  nouns  in  number,  gender  and 
case.  Adjectives  ending  in  us,  take  on  the  termination  a  for  the 
feminine  and  um  for  the  neuter  gender;  they  are  declined  according 
to  the  first  and  second  declensions.  Adjectives  ending  in  is  are  of 
the  third  declension,  this  denoting  bath  the  masculine  and  feminine 
genders,  while  they  take  the  termination  e  for  the  neuter.  Adjec- 
tives (or  participles)  terminating  in  ens  have  the  same  ending  for  all 
genders  and  change  according  to  the  third  declension. 

The  following  list  contains  the  nouns  and  adjectives  of  the 
United  States  and  British  Pharmacopoeias  : 

Abrus,  i  Acidum,  i 

Absinthium,  ii  Benzoicum,  i 

Absolutus,  a,  um  Boricum,  i 

Acacia,  ae  Carbolicum,  i 

Acetanilidum,  i  Carbonicum,  i 

Acetas,  atis  Chromicum,  i 

Acetonum,  i  Citricum,  i 

Acetum,  i  Formicum,  i 

Achillea,  ae  Gallicum,  i 

Acidum,  i  Hydriodicum,  i 

Aceticum,  i  Hydrobromicum,  i 

Arsenosum,  i  Hydrochloricum,  i 


82 


Aciduni,  i 

Hydrocyanicum,  i 
(dilutum) 

Hydrofluoricum,  i 

Hypophosphorosum,  i 

Lacticum,  i 

Nitricum,  i 

Nitrohydrochloricum,  i 

Oleicum,  i 

Oxalicum,  i 

Phosphoricum,  i 

Picricum,  i 

Salicylicum,  i 

Sulphuricum,  i 

Sulphurosum,  i 

Tannicum,  i 

Tartaricum,  i 

Valerianicum,  i 
Aconitina,  ae 
Aconitum,  i 
Adeps,  adipis 
Aequalis,  is,  e,  adj. 
Aether,  eris 
Aethereum,  ei 
Albus,  a,  um 
Albumen,  inis 
Alcohol,  indeclinable  or   Alco- 

holis 
Alcoholicus,  a,  um 
Alcoholisatus,  a,  um 
Allium,  ii 
Aloe,  es 
Aloinum,  i 
Althaea,  ae 
Alumen,  inis 
Aluminum,  i 
Amarus,  a,  um, 
Americanus,  a,  um 
Ammonia,  ae 
Ammoniacum,  i 
Ammoniatus,  a,  um 
Ammonium,  ii 
Amygdala,  ae 
Amyl,  indeclinable 
Amylicus,  a,  um 
Amylum,  i 


Anethum,  i 
Animalis,  is,  e,  adj. 
Anthemis,  idis 
Antimoniali^,  is,  e,  adj. 
AntimoniunJ,  ii 
Apocynum,  i 
Apomorphina,  ae 
Aqua,  ae 
Argentum,  i 
Armoracia,  ae 
Arnica,  ae 
Aromaticus,  a,  um 
Arsenas,  atis 
Arsenis,  itis 
Arsenum,  i 
Asafoetida,  ae 
Asclepias,  adis 
Aspidium,  ii 
Aspidosperma,  atis 
Atropina,  ae 
Aurantium,  ii 
Aurum,  i 
Avena,  ae 

Bacca,  ae 
Balsamum,  i 
Barbadensis,  is,  e,  adj. 
Barium,  ii 
Berberina,  ae 
Bela,  ae 
Belladonna,  ae 
Benzinum,  i 
Benzoas,  atis 
Benzoinatus,  a,  um 
Benzoinum,  i 
Bergamotta,  ae 
Betula,  ae 
Bicarbonas,  atis 
Bichromas,  atis 
Bimeconas,  atis 
Bismuthum,  i 
Bisulphas,  atis 
Bitartras,  atis 
Boras,  atis 
Borax,  acis 
Bos,  bovis 


(II) 


\ 


c 


/ 

llromidum,  i 
Bromum,  i 
Bryonia,  ae 
Buchu,  indeclinable 
Burgundicus,  a,  um 
Butvl,  indeclinable 


Cadinus,  a,  um 
Caffeina,  ae 
Cajuputi,  indeclinable 
Calamina,  ae 
Calamus,  i 
Calcium,  ii 
Calendula,  ae 
Calumba,  ae 
Calx,  calcis 
Cambogia,  ae 
Camphora,  ae 
Camphoratus,  a,  um 
Canadensis,  is,  e,  adj. 
Canella,  ae 
Caninus,  a,  um 
Cannabis,  is 
Cantharidatus,  a,  um 
Cantharis,  idis 
Capsicum,  i 
Capsula,  ae 
Carbo,  onis 
Carbonas,  atis 
Carbonatus,  a,  um 
Carboneum,  ei 
Cardamomum,  i 
Carum,  i 
Caryophyllus,  i 
Cascara,  ae 
Cascarilla,  ae 
Cassia,  ae 
Castanea,  ae 
Cataplasma,  atis 
Catechu,  indeclinable 
Caulophyllum,  i 
Centifolius,  a,  um 
Cera,  ae 
Ceratum,  i 
Cerevisia,  ae 


83 


Cerium,  ii 

Cetaceum,  ei 

Cetraria,  ae 

Charta,  ae 

Chelidonium,  ii 

Chenopodium,  ii 

Chimaphila,  ae 

Chirata,  ae 

Chloral,  alls 

Chloras,  atis 

Chloratus,  a,  um 

Chloridum,  i 

Chlorinatus,  a,  um 

Chloroformum,  i 

Chondius,  i 

Chrysarobinum,  i 

Cimicifuga,  ae 

Cinchona,  ae 

Cinchonidina,  ae 

Cinchonina,  ae 

Cinnamomum,  i 

Citrotartras,  atis 

Citras,  atis 

Citratus,  a,  um 

Coca,  ae  (formerly  not  declined) 

Cocaina,  ae 

Coccus,  i 

Codeina,  ae 

Colchicum,  i 

CoUodium,  ii 

Colocynthis,  idis 

Compositus,  a,  um 

Confectio,  onis 

Congius,  ii 

Conium,  ii 

Convallaria,  ae 

Copaiba,  ae 

Coriandrum,  i 

Corrosivus,  a,  um 

Cortex,  icis 

Creosotum,  i 

Creta,  ae 

Crocus,  i 

Croton,  onis 

Cubeba,  ae 

Cuprum,  i 


84 


Cusparia,  ae 
Cusso,  indeclinable 
Cyanidum,  i 
Cypripedium,  ii 

Decoctum,  i 
Decorticatus,  a,  um 
Deodoratus,  a,  um 
Despuniatus,  a,  um 
Diachylon,  indeclinable 
Dialysatus,  a,  um 
Dilutus,  a,  um 
Dioxidum,  i 
Disulphidum,  i 
Digitalis,  is 
Drachma,  ae 
Dulcamara,  ae 
Dulcis,  is,  e,  adj. 
Durus,  a,  um 

Effervescens,  entis 

Elastica,  ae 

Elaterium,  ii 

Elaterinum,  i 

Elemi,  indeclinable 

Elixir,  indeclinable,   or  Elixiris, 

plural  Elixiria 
Emplastrum,  i 
Emulsum,  i 
Enema,  atis 
Epispasticus,  a,  um 
Ergota,  ae 
Erigeron,  ontis 
Eriodictyon,  yi 
Essentia,  ae 
Ethylicus,  a,  um 
Ethylas,  atis 

Eucalyptol,  indeclinable  or  olis 
Eucalyptus,  i 
Euonymus,  i 
Eupatorium,  ii 
Expressus,  a,  um 
Exsiccatus,  a,  um 
Extractum,  i 

Farina,  ae 


Fel,  fellis 
Fermentum,  i 
Ferrocyanidum,  i 
Ferrum,  i 
Ficus,  i  and  us 
Filix,  icis 
Fistula,  ae 
Flavus,  a,  um 
Flexilis,  is,  e,  adj. 
Flos,  oris 
Fluidrachma,  ae 
Fluiduncia,  ae 
Fluidus,  a,  um 
Foeniculuni,  i 
Foetidus,  a,  um 
Folium,  ii 

Fortior,  oris  (fortis) 
Frangula,  ae 
Fructus,  us 
Frumentum,  i 
Fuscus,  a,  um 
Fusus,  a,  um 

Galbanum,  i 

Galla,  ae 

Gallicus,  a,  um 

Gaultheria,  ae 

Gelatinum,  i 

Gelsemium,  ii 

Gentiana,  ae 

Geranium,  ii 

Glaber  (bri),  a,  um,  adj. 

Glonoinum,  i 

Glusidum,  i 

Glycerinum,  i 

Glyceritum,  i 

Glycyrrhiza,  ae 

Glycyrrhizinum,  i 

Gossypium,  ii 

Gramma,  atis  (plur.  grammata) 

Granatum,  i 

Granulatus,  a,  um 

Granum,  i 

Grindelia,  ae 

Guaiacum,  i 

Guarana,  ae 


.^ 


85 


Gutta,  ae 
Gutta-percha,  ae 

Haematoxylon,  i 
Hamamelis,  idis 
Hedeonia,  ae 
Hemidesmum,  i 
Herba,  ae 
Hirudo,  inis 
Homatropina,  ae 
Hordeum,  ei 
Humulus,  i 
Hydrargyrum,  i 
Hydrastina,  ae 
Hydras,  atis 
Hydrastis,  is 
Hydratus,  a,  urn 
Hydrobromas,  atis 
Hydrochloras,  atis 
Hydrocyanicum,  i 
Hydriodicum,  i 
Hydrosus,  a,  um 
Hyoscyamina,  ae 
Hyoscina,  ae 
Hyoscyamus,  i 

Ichthyocolla,  ae 
Idaeus,  ei 
Illicium,  ii 
Impurus,  a,  um 
Indicus,  a,  um 
Infusum,  i 
Injectio,  onis 
Inula,  ae 
lodidum,  i 
lodoformum,  i 
lodum,  i 
Ipecacuanha,  ae 
Iris,  idis 

Jalapa,  ae 
Juglans,  andis 
Juniperus,  i 

Kamala,  ae 
Kino,  indeclinable 
Krameria,  ae 

Lac,  lactis 


Lactas,  atis 
Lactophosphas,  atis 
Lactucarium,  ii 
Lamella,  ae 
Lana,  ae 
Lappa,  ae 
Larix,  laricis 
Laurocerasus,  i 
Lavandula,  ae 
Leptandra,  ae 
Libra,  ae 
Lignum,  i 
Limo,  onis 
Linimentum,  i 
Linum,  i 
Liquidus,  a,  um 
Liquor,  oris 
Lithium,  ii 
Lobelia,  ae 
Lotio,  onis 
Lotus,  a,  um 
Lupulinum,  i 
Lycopodium,  ii 

Macis,  idis 

Magnesia,  ae 

Magnesium,  ii 

Manganum,  i 

Manna,  ae 

Marmor,  oris 

Marrubium,  ii 

Massa,  ae 

Mastiche,  es 

Matico,  indeclinable 

Matricaria,  ae 

Medicatus,  a,  um 

Medulla,  ae 

Mel,  mellis 

Melissa,  ae 

Menispermum,  i 

Mentha,  ae 

Menthol,  indeclinable  or  olis 

Methyl,  indeclinable 

Mezereum,  ei 

Mica,  ae 

Minimum,  i 


86 


Mistura,  ae 
Mitis,  is,  e,  adj. 
Mollis,  is,  e,  adj. 
Morrhua,  ae 
Monobromatus,  a,  um 
Morus,  i 
Morphina,  ae 
Moschus,  i 
Mucilago,  inis 
Myristica,  ae 
Myrcia,  ae 
Myrrha,  ae 

Naphtalinum,  i 

Naphtol,  indeclinable   or  olis 

Nectandra,  ae 

Niger  (gri),  nigra,  nigrum,  adj. 

Nitras,  atis 

Nitris,  itis 

Nitrosus,  a,  um 

Nux,  nucis 

Octarius,  ii 
Oleum,  ei 
Oleatum,  i 
Oleoresina,  ae 
Oliva,  ae 
Opium,  ii 
Opulus,  i 
Os,  ossis 
Ovum,  i 
Oxalas,  atis 
Oxidum,  i 
Oxymel,  oxymellis 

Pancreatinum,  i 
Papaver,  eris 
Panis,  is 
Paraffinum,  i 
Paraldehydum,  i 
Pareira,  ae 
Pars,  partis 
Pepo,  onis 
Perchloridum,  i 
Permanganas,  atis 
Pepsinum,  i 


Persulphas,  atis 

Peruvianus,  a,  um 

Petalum,  i 

Petrolatum,  i 

Phenacetinum,  i 

Phenazonum,  i 

Phosphas,  atis 

Phosphidum,  i 

Phosphis,  itis 

Phosphoratus,  a,  um 

Phosphorus,  i 

Physostigma,  atis 

Physostigmina,  ae 

Phytolacca,  ae 

Picrotoxinum,  i 

Pilocarpina,  ae 

Pilocarpus,  i 

Pilula,  ae 

Pimenta,  ae 

Pinus,  i 

Piper,  eris 

Piperina,  ae 

Piperitus,  a,  um 

Pix,  picis 

Plumbum,  i 

Podophyllum,  i 

Ponderosus,  a,  um 

Potassa,  ae 

Potassium,  ii 

Praecipitatus,  a,  um 

Praeparatus,  a,  um 

Prunifolius,  a,  um 

Prunum,  i 

Prunus,  i 

Pulsatilla,  ae 

Pulvis,  eris 

Purificatus,  a,  um 

Purshiana,  ae 

Purus,  a,  um 

Pyrethrum,  i 

Pyrogallol,  indeclinable  or  olis 

Pyrophosphas,  atis 

Pyroxylinum,  i 

Quantum,  i 
Quassia,  ae 


87 


Quercus,  us 
Quillaja,  ae 
Quinidina,  ae 
Quinina,  ae 


Radix,  icis 

Recens,  entis,  adj. 

Rectificatus,  a,  u  n 

Reductus,  a,  um 

Resina,  ae 

Resorcinum,  i 

Rhamnus,  i 

Rheum,  ei 

Rhoeas,  ados 

Rhus,  rhois 

Rosa,  ae 

Rosmarinus,  i 

Ruber  (bri),  rubra,  rubrum,  adj. 

Rubus,  i 

Rumex,  icis 

Ruta.  ae 


Sabadilla,  ae 
Sabina,  ae 
Saccharum,  i 
Saccharatus,  a,  um 
Saigonicus,  a,  um 
Salicinum,  i 
Salicylas,  atis 

Salol,  indeclinable  or  salolis 
Salvia,  ae 
Sambucus,  i 
Sanguinaria,  ae 
Santalum,  i 
Santonica,  ae 
Santoninum,  i 
Sapo,  onis 
Sarsaparilla,  ae 
Sassafras,  indeclinable 
Scammonia,  ae 
Scammonium,  ii 
Scatula,  ae,  a  box 
Scilla,  ae 
Scoparius,  ii 


Scutellaria,  ae 
Semen,  inis 
Senega,  ae 
Senna,  ae 
Serpentaria,  ae 
Sesamum,  i 
Sevum,  i 
Silicas,  atis 
Sinapis,  is 
Socotrinus,  a,  um 
Soda,  ae 
Sodium,  ii 
Solubilis,  is,  e,  adj. 
Sparteina,  ae 
Spigelia,  ae 
Spiritus,  us 
Spissus,  a,  um 
Staphisagria,  ae 
Stillingia,  ae 
Stramonium,  ii 
Strontium,  ii 
Strophanthus,  i 
Strychnina,  ae 
Stypticus,  a,  um 
Styrax,  acis 
Subacetas,  atis 
Subcarbonas,  atis 
Subchloridum,  i 
Sublimatus,  a,  um 
Subsulphas,  atis 
Subnitras,  atis 
Succus,  i 
Sulphas,  atis 
Sulphonal,  alis 
Sulphur,  uris 
Sulphidum,  i 
Sulphocarbolas,  atis 
Sulphuratu.s,  a,  um 
Sulphurosum,  i 
Sumbul,  indeclinable 
Suppositorium,  ii 
Sylvestris,  is,  e,  adj. 
Syrupus,  i 

Tabacum,  i 
Tabella,  ae 


88 


T.imarindus,  i 
Taraxacum,  i 
Tartaratus,  a,  um 
Tartras,  atis 

Tcnuior,  oris  (tenuis),  adj. 
Terebenum,  i 
Tcrebinthina,  ae 
Terpinum,  i 
Tersulphas,  atis 
Theriaca,  ae 
Theobroma,  atis 
Thymol,  indeclinable  or  olis 
Thymus,  i 
Tiglium,  ii 
Tinctura,  ae 
Tolutanus,  a,  um 
Toxicodendron,  dri 
Tragacantha,  ae 
Triticum,  i 
Trituratio,  onis 
Trochiscus,  i 

Ulmus,  i 
Uncia,  ae 
Unguentum,  i 


Uva,  ae 
Ursus,  i 
Ustus,  a,  um 

Valeriana,  ae 
Valerianas,  atis 
Vanilla,  ae 
Vapor,  oris 
Vegetabilis,  is,  e,  adj. 
Venalis,  is,  e,  adj. 
Veratrina,  ae 
Veratrum,  i 
Viburnum,  i 
Vinum,  i 
Viridis,  is,  e,  adj. 
Vitellus,  i 
Volatilis,  is,  e,  adj. 
Vomicus,  a,  um 

Xanthoxylum,  i 

Zea,  ae 

Zeylanicus,  a,  um 
Zincum,  i 
Zingiber,  eris 


The  following  is  a  list  of  the  most  important  expressions  enter- 
ing into  the  phraseology  of  prescription  writing  : 


Ad  prep,  with  ace.  tO,  Up  tO 

Ad  libitum,  at  will 

Adde,  imp.  of  addere,  add 

Ana,  abbr.  aa,  Greek  prep,  with  gen.,  of 

each 
Ante,  prep,  with  ace,  before 
Ante  cibum,  abbr.  a.c. , beforemeals 

Bene,  adv.,  well 

Bis,  adv.  num.,  twice 

Bis  in  die,  abbr.  bis  in  d.,  twice 

daily 
Bulliens,  entis,  boiling 
Bulliat,   bulliant,  subj.  of  buUio,  let 

it,  let  them,  boil 

Capiat,  subj.  of  capere,  let  him  take 
Centimetrum  cubicum,  abbr-  C.c, 
a  cubic  centimeter 


Charta,  ae,  paper 

Chartula,  ae,  a  small  paper 

Cibus,  i,  food 

Cochlear,     aris,    )  abbr.    Coch.,  a 

Cochleare,  aris,    j      spoonful 

Cochleare   amplum  |  ^  ^^p J^^f^j 
Cochleare  magnum  I      _i_fygg 

Cochleare  medicum  |^  spoo^nful 
Cochleare  modicum  I      r=:f^ii 

Cochleare  parvum,  a  teaspoonful 

-f3i 
Cola,  imp.  of  colare.  Strain 

ColatUS,    perfect     partic.  of   colare, 

strained 
Collyrium,  ii,  an  eye-wash 
Congius,  ii,  abbr.  Cong.,  a  gallon 


ContUSUS,  i,  contundere,  ground 
Cum,  prep,  with  abl.,  witll 

Cyathus,  i,  a  glass 

Da,  imp.  of  dare,  give 

Detur,  dentur,  let  there  be  given 
Decoctum,  i,  a  decoction 
Divide,  imp.  of  dividere,  divide 
Dividatur,  subj.,  let  it  be  divided 
Dividendus,  ger.,  to  be  divided 
Dosis,  is,  a  dose 
Drachma,  ae,  abbr,  5,  a  drachm 

Kxactus,  a,  um,  adj.,  accurate 

Fac,  imp.  of  facere,  make 
Fiat,  subj.  of  fieri,  let  it  be  made 
Fiant,  subj.  of  fieri,  let  them  be  made 
Filtra,  imp.  of  filtrare,  filter 
Fluidrachma,  ae,  abbr.  f5,  a  flui- 

drachm 
Fluiduncia,   ae,  abbr.  fg,  a  fluid- 
ounce 

Gargarisma,  atis,  a  gargle 
Gramma,  atis,    plur.  grammata,  abbr. 

Gm. ,  a  gramme 
Granum,  i,  a  grain 
Gutta,  ae,  a  drop 
Guttatim,  adv.,  by  drops 

Haustus,  i,  a  draught 

In,  prep,  with  ace,  into 
In,  prep,  with  abl.,  m 

Infusum,  i,  an  infusion 

Lagena,  ae,  a  bottle 
lyibra,  ae,  abbr.  ib.,  a  pound 

Manipulus,  i,  a  handful 
Massa,  ae,  a  mass 
Mica  panis,  crumb  of  bread 
Minimum,  i,  abbr.  n\^,  a  minim 
Misce,  imp.  of  miscere,  mix 
Mistura,  ae,  a  mixture 


Numero,  adv.,  by  number 

Octarius,  ii,  a  pint 

Per,  prep,  with  ace  ,  through,  by 
Pilula,  ae,  a  pill 
Poculum,  i,  a  cup,  goblet 
Post,  prep,  with  ace,  after 

Postcibum,  abbr.  p.  c. ,  after  meals 

Pro,  prep,  with  abl.,   for 
Pro  re  nata,  abbr.  p.  r.  n.,  as  occa- 
sion arises 
Pulvis,  eris,  a  powder 

Quantum,  quanius,  a,  uin,  as  much  as 
Quantum  sufficit,  as  much  as  suf- 
fices 

Recipe,  imp.  of  recipere,  abbr.  R,  take 

Scatula,  ae,  a  box 

Secundum,  prep,  with  ace,  abbr.  sec. , 

according  to 
Secundum  artem,  ars,  artis,  abbr.  sec. 

art. ,  according  to  the  art 
Semis,  semissis,  abbr.  ss,  a  half 
Scrupulus,  i,  abbr.  9,  a  scruple 
Signa,  imp.  of  signare,  sign,  label 
Solve,  imp.  of  solvere,  dissolve 
Spiritus,  us,  a  spirit 
Statim,   adv.,  abbr.  stat.,   immedi- 
ately 
Sufficit,    fr.  sufficere,  it  SUfficeS 

Tabella,  ae,  a  tablet 

Talis,  adj.,  such,  like  this 

Ter,  adv.  num.,  three  times 

Ter  in  die,  abbr.  t.  i.  d., three  times 

a  day 
Tere,  imp.,  rub. 

Uncia,  ae,  an  ounce 


90 
TABLE  OF 


Latin  Name. 


English  Name. 


Aquae. 


Llqnores Solutions 


Waters . 


Syrupl. 

Mellita. 


Mucilagines, 

Emulsiones . . 

Misturae 

Glycerita 

Infuaa 


Decocta.. 
Splrltua  . 


Syrups. 
Honeys., 


Mucilages.. 
Emulsions. 


Mixtures... 
Glycerites., 

Infusions... 


1^ 


Decoctions. 
Spirits 


Elixir  or  Elixiria Elixirs 

Tlnctnrae !  Tinctures. 


Extracta  flnlda. 


Vina. 


CoUodia 

Llulmeuta . 

Uleata 


Oleo-resinae. 

Aceta 

£xtracta.. 


Resinae 

Pulvere«... 

Triturationes. 


Mas.sae 

Confectiones  . 
Fllulae 


Trochisci 

Cerata 

Ungneuta 

Emplastra 

Chartae 

Supposltorla., 


Fluid  Extracts, 


Wines 

Collodions 

Liniments 

Oleates 

Oleoresins 

Vinegars 

Extracts 

Resins 

Powders , 

Triturations.. 

Masses 

Confections.... 
Pills 

Troches  

Cerates 

Ointments 

Plasters 

Papers , 

Suppositories, 


Menstruum. 


Water., 


Water., 
Water. 
Water., 

Water., 


Principal 
Ingredient. 


Volatile. 


Water 

Glycerin.. 

Water 


Water  .. 
Alcohol. 


Alcohol 

(Water.) 

Alcohol 

(and  Water). 


Alcohol 

Alcohol  and 
Water. 


lo     Wine. 


Ale.  I,  Ether  3. 
Oil  or  Alcohol.. 
Oleic  Acid 


Ether. 


Vinegar 

Dil.  Ac.  Acid. 

Alcohol 

Ale.  and  Water 
Water. 
Alcohol 


Excipient 

Cacao-butter. 


Non- volatile 

Sug.  and  med.  subst 

Honey  and  med.  .. 
subst. 

Gum  or  other  muci- 
laginous subst. 

Oil 


Solid  in  suspension. 
Some    chemical     01 

drug. 
Med.  subst , 


Veg.  med.  subst . 
Volatile 


Sug.  and  med.  subst 

Veg   med.  subst.  ... 
Non-volatile. 


Veg.  med.  subst. 
Non-volatile. 


Med.  subst. 


For 
Internal  Use. 


Exceptions — 

Aq.  Amm. 

Aq  Amm.  fort. 

Aq.  Chlori. 

Aq.  Hydrog.  Diox. 

Usually 

Always , 

Always 


Always., 
Always. 
Always . 


Always. 
Always . 


Gun-cotton 

Med.  subst 

Alkaloid   or  met. 

oxide. 
Oil,  resin , 


Veg.  med.  subst. 
Veg.  drug 


Resin  of  veg.  drug. 

Dry  powd.  drug 

Dry  ingred.  with 
powd.  sug.  milk. 

Pill-mass 

Aromatics 

Med.  subst.  and  ex- 
cipient. 

Med.  subst.  and  ex- 
cipient. 

Wax 

Lard. 

Lard 

(Wax.) 

Resin  or  other  firm 
basis. 

Med.  subst.  on 
paper. 

^led.  subst 


Always.. 
Usually 

Always  . 

Always  . 


Always  , 
Always  , 
Always. 


Always., 
Always. 
Always . 

Always  . 
Always  . 
Always  . 

Always  . 


Rectal. , 


91 


OFFICIAL  PREPARATIONS. 


For 
External  Use. 


Occasionally  . 


Usually. 


Tr.  Iodine  . 
Tr.  Arnica 
Flowers. 


Always  . 
Always  . 
Always . 


Made  by 

Retail 

pharmacist. 


Usually  . 


Usually  . 
Always . 

Always.. 


Usually  and 
preferably.. 

Always 

Usually 


Always . 


Always . 
Usually  . 


Usually 

Usually  and 
preferably. 


Usually. 


Usually 

Usually  and 
preferably. 


Always  . 


Usually  . 
Usually  , 


Usually...  ., 
Usually.  .  .. 
Preferably., 


Always I  Usually  and 

I      preferably. 

Always I  Usually  and 

preferably. 
Alwaj's., 


Always  . 


Usually  and 
preferably. 


Made  by 
Manufacturer. 


Average  Dose. 


Aq.  Amm 

Aq.  Amm.  fort. 
Aq.  Hydrog.  Diox. 


Usually . 
A  few.... 


Cod    Liver 
Occasionally 


Emuls. 
Oil. 


Occasionally  . 


Always. 


Always  . 


Usually. 


Alwaj's  . 


Usually 

Occasionally . 


Extensively., 
Usually , 


Always 

Usually 

Extensively. 


fSss-fSj. 


Method  of 
Manufacture. 


f  Sss-fSj- 
fSss-f  5j.. 

f  5i-f  5ij.. 

f5j-f5iv., 

fSss 


fgss-fSj 

Exception — 
Inf.  Digitalis  f5i-f5iv. 

f  Sss-f  Sij 

f  5ss 

Exceptions — 
Spir.  Glonoini,  ITli-ij. 
Spir.  Phosphori,  TTlv-x. 
fSJ 


f5i 


Exception.s — 
Poisonous  tinctures, lT\x 
Tr.  Aconite     \  ^-  ■■■ 
Tr.  Ver.  Vir.  /  "''  "J 
lo  min  

Exceptions — 
Poison,  fld.  extr.,  ITli. 


f3i.  Exc.  Poison. Wines 
10  to  3on|. 


1-5  mm., 
Vl\x 


gr  J 

Exceptions — 
Poison,  extracts,  gr.  % 

gr.  i 

10  grains 


Solution. 
Distillation. 


Solution. 
Usually  by  heat. 


Emulsifi  cation. 


Admixture. 
Solution. 


Not  boiled. 


Boiling. 
Solution. 
Distillation. 


Solution. 


Percolation. 
Maceration. 


Percolation,  pre- 
ceded by  macera- 
tion and  followed 
by  partial  evapor- 
ation. 

Percolation. 

Solution. 

Admixture  orSolu'n 
Solution, 

Percolation       and 

evaporation. 
Percolation. 

Percolation. 

Maceration. 

Boiling. 

Precipitation. 

Trituration. 

Trituration. 

Incorporation. 
Incorporation. 
Incorporation. 

Incorporation. 

Fusion. 

Fusion. 
Cold  incorp. 
Fusion  and  spread  on 
suitable  material. 
Paper  sat.  with  drug. 

Fusion. 
Cold. 


(12) 


APPENDIX. 


'The  follovviug  formulae,  illustrative  of  the  various  classes  of  prepara- 
tions, have  beeu  found  convenient  for  use  in  the  Pharmaceutical  Laboratory 
of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 


PULVIS  EFFERVESCENS  COMPOSITUS.     U.  S.  P.      ^'^ 
COMPOUND  EFFERVESCING  POWDER  (Seidlitz  Powder). 

Pulveris  Acidi  Tartaric!     ,        gr.  xxxv 

Disoensa  in  charta  alba. 


xJuK^^) 


Sodii  Bicarbonatis gr-  xl 

Potassii  et  Sodii  Tartratis .    .        3ij 

Misce  et  dispensa  in  charta  coerulea. 
Signa :  Seidlitz  Powder. 

Fold  according  to  English  Method. 


^ 


AQUA  CINNAMOMI.     U.  S.  P. 

CINNAMON   WATER. 


Olei  Cinnamomi C.  c.    0.2     .L\  cLl^l^^ly^ 

Calcii  Phosphatis  Praecipitati Gm.    0.4  _   [(.■Cy^o 

Aquae  Destillatae  quantum  sufficit  ut  fiant   .  C.c.  loo.o  — 

Triturate  the  Precipitated  Phosphate  of  Calcium  with  the  Oil.  Then 
with  a  part  of  the  Water.  Filter  through  a  plaited  filter  and  add  enough 
Water,  through  the  filter,  to  make  100  c.  c. 


PULVIS  CRETAE  COMPOSITUS.     U.  S.  P. 

COMPOUND    CHALK    POWDER. 

Cretae  Praeparatae Gm.     6.0     S 

Pulveris  Acaciae Gm.     4.0      "!_ 

Pulveris  Sacchari Gm.   lo.o         ^^ 

Misce  et  tere  exacte. 

Signa  :  Compound  Chalk  Powder. 

93 


94 
MISTURA  CRETAE.     U.  S.  P. 

CHALK    MIXTURE. 

Pulvtris  Cretae  Compositi O'ij 

Aquae  Cinnamomi f5vj 

Aquae  quantum  sufficit  ad f  5iv 

Misce.  Signa :  A  teaspoonful  every  two  hours. 


INFUSUM  PRUNI  VIRGINIANAE.     U.  S.  P. 

INFUSION    OF    WILD    CHERRY. 

Moisten  4  grammes  of  ground  wild  cherry  bark  with  6  c.  c 
of  water  and  macerate  for  one  hour. 

Pack  it  firmly  in  a  conical  glass  percolator  and  gradually 
pour  water  upon  it  until  the  percolate  measures  100  c.  c. 

Label :  Infusion  of  Wild  Cherry. 


^ 


SYRUPUS  PRUNI  VIRGINIANAE. 

SYRUP   OF   WILD    CHERRY. 


Infusi  Pruni  Virginianae C.  c.  ii.o 

Sacchari Gm.   17.0 

Dissolve  the  sugar  by  agitation. 

Label :  Syrup  of  Wild  Cherry. 


^ 


GLYCERITUPvl  ACIDI  TANNICI.     U.  S.  P. 
GLYCERiTE  OF  TANNIC  ACID  (Glvccrole  of  Tannin). 


Acidi  Tannici Gm.     5.0 

Glycerini C.  c.  20.0  (=Gm.  25.0) 

Solve. 

Signa:  Glycerite  of  Tannic  Acid. 

Heat  on  a  water-bath  until  perfectlj-  dissolved   and  a  green  solution  is 
obtained. 


95 

TINCTURA  DIGITALIS.    U.  S.  P. 

TINCTURE    OF    DIGITALIS    (Foxglove), 

Powdered  Digitalis 68  grains  (4.50  Gm.) 

Diluted  Alcohol  a  sufficient  quan- 
tity to  make i  fluidounce  (30.0  C.  c.) 

Moisten  the  powder  with  f  3!  of  Diluted  Alcohol  and  allow  it  to  swell. 
Macerate  for  24  hours,  then  pack  it  firmly  in  a  percolator.  Percolate 
slowly  with  Diluted  Alcohol  until  f^i  (30  c.  c.)  is  obtained. 

Label:  Tincture  of  Digitalis.     Poison  ! 


TINCTURA  FERRI  CHLORIDI.     U.  S.  P. 
TINCTURE  OF  FERRIC  CHLORIDE  (or  Tincture  of  Chloride  of  Iron)^ 

Liquoris  Ferri  Chloridi fSij 

Alcohol       f5vj 

Misce. 

Sifjna  :  Tincture  of  Ferric  Chloride. 


SPIRITUS  CAMPHORAE.     U.  S.  P. 

SPIRIT    OF    CAMPHOR. 

Camphorae gr.  xlv 

Alcohol fgj 

Solve. 

Signa :  Spirit  of  Camphor. 


^ 


LINIMENTUM  SAPONIS.     U.  S.  P. 

SOAP    LINIMENT. 

Saponis Gm.     1.75 

Camphorae Gm.     1.125 

Olei  Rosmarini C.  c.    025  (circa  gtt.  iv) 

Alcohol C.  c.  19.0 

Aquae  quantum  sufficit  ad    .    .    .   C.  c.  25.0 

Dissolve  the  Camphor  in  the  Alcohol.  Add  the  Soap  and  the  Oil  of 
Rosemary.  Finally,  add  a  sufficient  quantity  of  Water  to  make  25  c.  c. 
Filter  the  preparation. 

Label:  Soap  Liniment. 


96 
SUPPOSITORIA  ACIDI  TANNICI. 

SUPPOSITORIES   OF   TANNIC    ACID. 

Triturate  6  grs,  of  Tannic  Acid  with  lo  grs.  of  Oil  of  Theo- 
broma  (Cacao  Butter).  Melt  40  grs.  of  Oil  of  Theobroma  on  a 
water-bath  at  as  low  a  temperature  as  possible.  Add  the  first 
mixture  to  the  melted  oil  without  applying  any  more  heat.  Mix 
thoroughly  and  pour  the  mixture  at  once  into  moulds  which 
have  been  thoroughly  chilled  and  are  absolutely  dry.  Wait  until 
the  moulds  are  again  chilled  before  opening  them. 


^ 


UNGUENTUM  ACIDI  BORICI. 

OINTMENT  OF  BORIC  ACID  (Boric  Ointment). 

Acidi  Borici 5ss. 

Petrolati 5ss. 


Reduce  the  Acid  to  a  fine  powder.  Incorporate  oj  of  Petrolatum  with 
the  Boric  Acid  by  thorough  trituration  and  finally  add  the  remainder  of  the 
Petrolatum,  mixing  thoroughly. 

Label:  Boric  Ointment 


LIQUOR  SODII  BORATIS  COMPOSITUS. 

DOBELL'S   SOLUTION. 

Sodii  Boratis 

Sodii  Bicarbonatis         aa  gr.  xv 

Acidi  Carbolici gtt.  ij 

Glycerini f5ss 

Aquae  quantum  sufficit  ut  fiant fSij 

Dissolve  the  Borax  and  the  Sodium  Bicarbonate  in  f  Jj  of  Water.  Add 
the  Carbolic  Acid  to  the  Glycerin.  Then  mix  the  two  solutions  and  add  a 
suflBcient  quantity  of  Water  to  measure  f3ij. 


97 

CALOMEL  POWDERS. 

Hydrargyri  Chloridi  Mitis gr,  j 

Sodii  Bicarbonatis gr.  yj 

Sacchari gr.  viij 

Misce.     Fiant  chartulae  No.  vj. 
Signa  :  One  powder  every  hour. 


APERIENT  PILLS. 

Pulveris  Aloes ^'Jir-y    c.l-^   y )  • 

Pulveris  Rhei '  i' 

Pulveris  Saponis aa  gr.  xij 

Misce.     Fiat  massa.     Divide  in  pilulas  No.  xij. 

Signa  :  One  pill  at  bed-time. 


CYSTITIS  MIXTURE. 

Potassii  Bromidi 

Acidi  Borici aa  gr.  xx 

Tincturae  Belladonnae  Foliorum     .....  "I  xij 

Liquoris  Potassii  Citratis fSij 

Misce. 

Signa  :  A  tablespoonful  every  4  hours. 


^ 


LIQUOR  POTASSII  CITRATIS     U.  S.  P. 

SOLUTION    OF    POTASSIUM    CITRATE. 

Acidi  Citrici Gm.      6.0 

Potassii  Bicarbonatis Gm.       8.0 

Aquae  quantum  sufficit  ad C.  c.  loo.o 

Dissolve  the  Potassium  Bicarbonate  and  the  Citric  Acid,  each,  in  50  c.  c. 
of  Water.  Mix  the  two  solutions  gradually  and  dispense  after  eflfervescence 
has  nearly  ceased. 

Label:  Solution  of  Potassium  Citrate. 


98 

DIURETIC  PILLS. 

Pulveris  Digitalis g^"-  xij 

H}'drargyri  Chloridi  Mitis gr-  xij 

Acaciae g^"-    vj 

Glycerini     .    .    = gtt.  iv 

Aquae  quantum  sufficit  ut  fiat  massa  in  pilulas 

No.  xij  dividenda. 

Signa  :  One  pill  three  times  a  day. 


MISTURA  SODAE  ET  MENTHAE. 

Ammonii  Carbonatis gr-  ij 

Sodii  Bicarbonatis gr.  xv 

Sacchari 5ij 

Olei  Menthae  Piperitae gtt.  iij 

Aquae fSij 

Mi  see.  tA«,  5  (v«,.  Ci-vl   cK^x^d^^i  c^' 

Signa :  Soda  Mint.  ^'^-^j^^'i--%^(M/*^-'\ 

Reduce  the  Ammonium  Carbonate  to  a  fine  powder;  mix  it  with  the 
Sodium  Bicarbonate  and  the  Sugar,  then  add  the  Oil  of  Peppermint.  Tri- 
turate  thoroughly  and  finally  add  the  Water. 


CAPSULES. 

Acidi  Carbolici gtt.  x 

Pulveris  Rhei gr.  xviij 

Bismuthi  Subnitratis gr.  xlij 

Misce.     Dispensa  in  capsulis  vj. 

Signa :  One  capsule  three  times  a  day. 

Triturate  the  solid  ingredients.     Add  the  Carbolic  Acid.     Divide  into 
six  equal  parts  and  fill  a  capsule  with  each. 


99 
EMULSIO  OLEI  RICINI. 

EMULSION    OF    CASTOR    OIL. 

Olei  Ricini f Sss 

Pulveris  Acaciae 

Pulveris  Sacchari aa  5j 

Olei  Menthae  Piperitae gtt.  iij 

Aquae  quantum  sufficit  ut  fiant 'f  Sij 

Misce.     Fiat  emulsio  secundum  artem. 

Mix  the  Acacia  with  the  Sugar.  Add  the  Oil  of  Peppermint  and  then 
the  Castor  Oil.  Now  add  f^ij  of  water,  all  at  once,  and  triturate  until  the 
mixture  assumes  the  appearance  of  cream.  Finally,  add  a  sufficient  quan- 
tity of  Water  to  make  f  5ij. 


LIQUOR  AMMONII  ACETATIS.     U.  S.  P. 
SOLUTION  OF  AMMONIUM  ACETATE  (Spirit  of  Mindercrus). 

Ammonii  Carbonatis Gm.      5.0 

Acidi  Acetici  Diluti C  c.  100.0 

Solve. 

Signa:  Solution  of  Ammonium  Acetate. 

Dissolve  the  Ammonium  Carbonate  in  the  diluted  Acetic  Acid.     Dis- 
pense after  effervescence  has  almost  ceased. 


^ 


lOO 

INFUSUiM   BUCHU. 

INFUSION    OF    BUCHU. 

Buchu  contusi gr,  xlv 

Aquae  bullientis fSij 


Heat  f  5ij  of  Water  to  the  boiling  point.  Add  the  Buchu.  Cover  the 
dish  and  allow  the  mixture  to  macerate  for  30  minutes.  Strain  through  a 
straining  cloth  and  add  a  sufl&cient  quantity  of  Water,  through  the  strainer, 
to  make  f^ij. 

Label:  Infusion  of  Buchu. 


Tincturae  Digitalis f  5i 

Liquoris  Ammonii  Acetatis f  .)j 

Infusi  Buchu fSj 

Misce. 

Signa :  A  teaspoonful  every  2  hours. 

This  prescription  illustrates  that  solutions  and  infusions  usually  mix 
readily,  as  both  are  made  with  a  menstruum  of  water  and  that  tinctures 
can  be  added  in  small  amount  to  aqueous  mixtures,  without  serious  pre- 
cipitation. 


INCOMPATIBILITY. 

Spiritus  Camphorae fsi 

Liquoris  Ammonii  Acetatis f -Si 

The  Camphor  is  precipitated,  as  it  is  only  sparingly  soluble  in  the 
mixture  of  alcohol  and  water  produced.  The  prescription  illustrates  the 
incompatibility  of  solutions  and  spirits. 


^ 


ACIDUM  ACETICUM  DILUTUM.  U.  S.  P. 

DILUTED    ACETIC    ACID. 

Acidi  Acetici C.  c.  16.0 

Aquae  Destillatae C.  c.  84.0 


Misce. 

Signa  :  Diluted  Acetic  Acid. 


lOI 

LIQUOR  FERRI  ET  AMMONII  ACETATIS.     U.  S.  P. 
SOLUTION  OF  IRON  AND  AMMONIUM  ACETATE  (Basham's  Mixture). 

Tincturae  Ferri  Chloridi .  v\.xx 

Acidi  Acetici  Diluti f  5ss 

Liquoris  Ammonii  Acetatis foiij  "Ixx 

Elixir  Aromatici f  5ij 

Glycerin! fo'j 

Aquae  quantum  sufficit  ad f  5ij 

To  the  Solution  of  Ammonium  Acetate  (T/hlci  fho(i.ln  not  be  a.!kaline) 
add,  successively,  the  Diluted  Acetic  Acid,  the  TiacLure  of  Ferric  Chloride, 
the  Aromatic  Elixir  and  the  Glycerin,  and  lastly,  a  saGicierli;  qucuti'^y  of 
Water  to  make  fgij. 


EXPECTORANT  MIXTURE. 

Ammonii  Chloridi 5j 

Potassii  Bromidi 5ss 

Tincturae  Belladonnae f  5s.s 

Pulveris  Extracti  Glycyrrhizae 

Acaciae aa  5ss 

Syrupi  Pruni  Virginianae fSss 

Aquae  quantum  sufficit  ut  fiant f  5ij 

Misce. 

Signa :  A  teaspoonful  every  four  hours. 


INTENTIONAL  INCOMPATIBILITY. 

Plumbi  Acetatis gr-  xv 

Zinci  Sulphatis      gJ"-  vij 

Aquae fS'j 

Misce. 

Signa:  Use  as  an  injection. 

Dissolve  each  salt,  separately,  in  f  gj  of  Water  and  mix  the  two  solutions. 
Mutual  decomposition  takes  place  and  a  new  compound,  lead  sulphate,  is 
precipitated,  while  zinc  acetate  remains  in  solution;  the  liquid  loses  nearly 
all  of  its  astringency.     Dispense  with  a  "  Shake  Well  "  label. 


I02 

Sodii  Salicylatis S''-  ^^ 

Potassii  Bicarbonatis gr.  xl 

Liquoris  Potassii  Citratis f  5j 

Misce. 

Signa:  A  teaspoonful,  three  times  a  day,  after  meals. 

Incompatibility.— To  f^ss  of  the  solution  add  f  ^ij  of  Tincture  of 
Ferric  Chloride.  A  violet-red  color  is  produced,  owing  to  the  formation  of 
salicylate  of  iron. 

INCOMPATIBII.T'' V — To  f^^ss  of  the  solution  add  f.^ij  of  Diluted 
Sulphiiric  Acid.  Salicylic  Acid  is  set  free  and  being  much  less  soluble 
than  Sodium  S?licylate,  is  precipitated. 


Quininae  Sulphatis Oss 

Acidi  Hydrochlorici  Diluti foj 

Tincturae  Nucis  Vomicae t"5i 

Aquae  quantum  sufficit  ad fSij 

Misce. 

Triturate  the  Quinine  with  the  Diluted  Hydrochloric  Acid.  Add  f  Jj  of 
Water,  then  the  Tincture  of  Nux  Vomica  and  finally,  a  suflScient  quantity 
of  Water  to  make  f5ij. 

Incompatibility. — To  f^i  of  the  solution  add  .^ij  of  Ammonium 
Carbonate.  Quinine  is  precipitated,  because  it  is  less  soluble  than  Quinine 
Sulphate.  Ammonium  Sulphate  remains  in  solution.  This  illustrates  the 
incompatibility  of  alkaloids  and  alkalies. 

To  f  .5j  of  the  solution  add  f^ss  of  Decoction  of  White  Oak  Bark.  An 
insoluble  tannate  of  quinine  is  precipitated,  illustrating  the  incompatibility 
of  tannic  acid  and  the  alkaloids  and  indicating  the  use  of  the  former  as  an 
antidote  to  the  alkaloidal  poisons. 


I03 

II 

Quininae  Sulphatis gr.  xl 

Extract!  Glycyrrhizae 5j 

Sacchari 5j 

Aquae  Ammoniae n^x 

Aquae  quantum  sufficit  ad f  §j 

Misce.     Fiat  mistura  secundum  artem. 

Mix  the  solids  in  a  mortar  with  the  Ammonia  and  f  ^ij  of  Water;  grad- 
ually add  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  latter  to  make  f  5J. 
Signa:  A  teaspoonful  four  times  a  day. 


R 


DECOCTUM  QUERCUS  ALBAE. 

DECOCTION    OF   WHITE    OAK    BARK. 

Quercus  Albae  contusi gr.  xlv 

Aquae  quantum  sufficit  ut  fiant f  oij 


Cover  the  White  Oak  Bark  with  f  gij  of  cold  Water  (in  a  dish  provided 
with  a  cover)  and  boil  for  15  minutes.  Strain,  and  pass  enough  Water 
through  the  strainer  to  make  the  product  measure  2  fluid  ounces. 

Label:  Decoction  of  White  Oak  Bark. 


Acidi  Carbolici "Ixl 

Aquae     .    , foss 

Solve. 

Signa :  Use  as  an  external  application.     Apply  with  a  camel's 
hair-brush. 

The  proportion  of  carbolic  acid  far  exceeds  the  solubility  of  this  drug 
in  water;  it  will  collect  in  the  bottom  of  the  bottle,  may  come  in  contact 
with  the  brush  in  concentrated  form  and  exert  a  corrosive  action  on  the 
skin.  The  addition  of  f  ^ij  of  glycerin  to  the  acid,  previous  to  its  dilution 
with  water,  will  make  it  perfectly  soluble. 

N.  B. — A  solution  as  strong  as  the  above  should  never  be  used  undiluted, 
even  if  a  clear  solution  is  obtained  by  the  addition  of  glycerin. 


NDEX. 


Aceta 49 

Acetic  Acid,  ililuted i8 

Active  principles,  vegetable  ...  24 

Administration  of  drugs    ....  3 

Albumen 32 

Alcohol  as  a  menstruum    ....  16 

Alkaloids 26 

Animal  drugs 5 

Apothecaries  measure 11 

weight II 

Appendix 93 

Aquae 34 

Avoirdupois  weight 11 

Balsams 25 

Bitter  principles    ....        ...  25 

Black  wash 66 

Cachets 64 

Capsulae 63 

Capsules 63 

Cerata 60 

Cerates 60 

Chartae 61 

Collodia 51 

Collodions 51 

Coloring  matter 32 

Confectiones 57 

Confections 57 

Decocta 39 

Decoctions      39 

Desiccation 20 

Digestion 21 

Distillation 20 

Domestic  measures      13 

Drop 13 

Drugs,  administration  of  ...    .  3 

deterioration  of 3 

Elixiria 44 

Elixirs 44 

Emplastra 60 

Emulsiones 42 

Emulsions 42 

Ether  as  a  menstruum 18 

Evaporation 20 

Extracta 51 

fluida 46 

Extractive 32 

Extracts 51 

Filtration 21 

Fixed  oils 26 

Fluid  extracts 46 

Glucosides 25 


Glycerin  as  a  menstruum   ....  iS 

Glycerita 44 

Glycerites ....  44 

Grammatical  construction  of  pre- 
scriptions      So 

Granulation  .        20 

Gum 31 

Honeys 41 

Imperial  measure 12 

Incompatibility 65 

chemical   ....  65 

physical    ....  68 

therapeutic  ...  69 

Inert  principles 31 

Infusa 38 

Infusions 38 

Inorganic  drugs 5 

Konseals 64 

Lead  water  and  laudanum     ...  66 

Linimenta 50 

Liniments 50 

Liqnores 36 

Lotio  nigra 66 

Maceration 21,  23 

Massae 57 

Masses 57 

Measure,  apothecaries 11 

imperial 12 

Measures,  domestic 13 

Mellita 41 

Menstrua  used  in  pharmacy  ...  16 

Metric  prescription 78 

system 14 

Misturae 38 

Mixtures 38 

Mucilages 41 

Mucilagines 41 

Official  nomenclature S 

preparations,  table  of  .    90,  91 

Oils,  fixed iS,  26 

volatile 24,  35 

Ointments 57 

Oleata 51 

Oleates 51 

Oleic  acid 18 

Oleoresinae 50 

Oleoresins 25  50 

Organic  drugs 5 

Papers 61 

Percolation 21 

Pharmaceutical  menstrua  ....  16 


(104) 


I05 


PAGE 

Pharmaceutical  process 20 

Pharmacopoeias 7 

Pills 53 

Pilulae             53 

plasters 60 

Powders 4)  33 

Precipitation 20 

Prescription,     grammatical     con- 
struction of So 

Prescription,  metric     ......  79 

writing 72 

Principles,  active 24 

bitter 25 

found  in  all  plants  .    .  31 

inert 31 

neutral 25 

Pulveres 33 

Resinae 53 

Resins 25,  53 

Solution 21 

Solutions 36 

Solutions,  percentage 12 

Spirits 45 

Spiritus 45 

Starch 31 

Sublimation 20 


PAGE 

Suppositoria 61 

Suppositories 61 

Synonyms 9 

Syrupi 40 

Syrups 40 

Table  of  official  preparations   .   90,  91 

Tannic  acid 31 

Tincturae 46 

Tinctures 46 

Trituration 23 

Triturationes .  53 

Triturations 53 

Troches  ,  _, 60 

Trochisci ...  60 

Troy  weight 11 

Unguenta 57 

Vegetable  active  principles  ...  24 

drugs 5 

Vina 49 

Vinegars 49 

Volatile  oils 24,  35 

Water  as  a  menstruum 17 

Waters 34 

Weights  and  measures 11 

Wines 49 


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